As She Lays Down
by Milarqui
Summary: As soon as the bullet went through her, Kate thought about the man that was holding her as she bled. The man that she loved the most, over everyone else. Caskett, Esplanie.
1. Chapter 1: Kate's Thoughts

Chapter 1

Kate's Thoughts

The first thing she feels is the pain. Her chest is in pain, and she feels as if she is doubling over because of it. She is already noticing the blood running out of her body.

Just a second later, someone tackles her from the side and throws her to the floor. There is only one person that could have done that. Castle. He has tried to protect her from being shot. He has been late, but she is grateful for the fact that he hasn't even thought about it, he just jumped.

She can only see the blue sky, with a few clouds. She hears people screaming. It is probably because of the shot.

Then, someone appears in her field of vision. He has those baby blue eyes that have always fascinated her, even if she attempts to deny it to herself. Those eyes are always full of happiness, with a shiny spark behind them, that shows his constant good mood. Even though it sometimes irritates her a bit, she is glad that he is like that. It has made the last three years some of the best of her work as a detective at the 12th Precinct, and probably of her life. He never fails at bringing a smile out of her when he wants.

However, now those beautiful eyes of his only show worry, sadness... and fear. Fear for her, for whether she will live or not. She wants to erase that fear from his eyes. She wants his eyes to shine like they always do. But she can't find the strength to say something. Bullet must have gone through one of her lungs.

He is hugging her. He has one hand over her wound. Even as her vision darkens, she can see that his eyes are very near from starting to pour tears. Then, he opens his mouth, and she attempts to pay attention to what he says.

"Ssh, Kate. Stay with me, Kate. Don't leave me, please. Stay with me, okay? Kate, I love you. I love you Kate."

As soon as she hears those three words, there is a conflict within her.

A part of her is angry at Castle for choosing this moment to tell her that he loves her.

That part of hers wants to shout at him.

It wants to hit him hard.

_It wants to hate him._

Because he didn't tell her before.

Because she knows both of them have suffered, and it could have been avoided if he had told her.

The rest of her wants to smile it him.

It wants to hug him.

_It wants to kiss him._

Because he has finally told her his feelings.

And those feelings are reciprocated.

She doesn't know when it happened exactly. Maybe it was when he told her that he would be leaving and she realized that she would never see him again at work. Maybe it was when he helped her find her mother's killer. Maybe it was when he risked his life as he entered her apartment to take her out of the fire. Maybe it was when she found him tied up during the Triple Killer case. Or maybe it was when he tackled Lockwood just as he was trying to shoot at her.

But she had known the truth the day both of them got stuck in the freezer. Castle had done his best to keep her spirits up. He had hugged her so that she stayed as warm as possible. All of that without regards to himself.

As she froze there, hugged to Castle, she had been about to cry at the possibility that she would not be able to finally find the man who had ordered her mother to be killed. Nor see her father, or Lanie, or Ryan, or Esposito, or Alexis, or Martha... but the worst she felt right then was that she would not be able to work with Castle anymore. She would not be able to laugh at his outlandish theories over the crimes they investigated. She would not be able to banter with him when he made a funny comment, or tease him with some carefully measured words.

She would not be able to tell him what she felt for him.

When she felt that the hypothermia was getting to her, as she felt sleepier than ever, she tried to caress his cheek, even though she couldn't feel anything on her fingers, and she had been about to tell him what she felt, but she didn't manage to finish before she fell asleep. The next thing she knew, she was being woken up by Josh, and Castle was being warmed up at an ambulance.

And, after the next day, when Castle had taken her hand with his, as the bomb's countdown reached 0, her feelings for him had been reaffirmed, and she had never been so glad of Castle being her partner than when he pulled all the wires just in time.

Despite all of that, she still was with Josh. She feared what would happen if she tried to have a date with Castle, if she allowed her feelings to surface and take control of her. Ever since her mother died, the only person she had actually allowed herself to love was her father, and she had engaged in several relationships that never had a future. Castle himself had called her out on this just three days before, and she felt she could have told him the truth, but never did.

The day after that, she talked with Josh and confessed that she felt their relationship had no future at all. They parted on amicable terms, but still she felt bad for leading Josh like that. She didn't have the courage to tell Castle after their fight, and Montgomery's death had pushed everything to the back of her mind.

And now, Castle is here. He has her in his arms. He has told her that he loves her. That he doesn't want her to leave.

She tries to look him into his eyes, tries to smile at him, tries to tell him that she loves him, too.

But the pain is becoming too much, and the darkness is encroaching into her vision.

The last thing she sees before everything goes black is those blue eyes she has wanted to swim in for such a long time...


	2. Chapter 2: Rick's Memories

Chapter 2

Rick's Memories

The moment he sees the light in Kate's eyes vanish, he feels the despair fill his body. He has never been this scared. No, not scared. Terrified. Nothing he has ever experimented in his life could compare with the situation he is in right now. The woman that has been the constant in his life, his muse, his partner, his friend, during the last three years, lies dying on the grass, right next to Roy Montgomery's grave.

People say that, when you are about to die, you see all of your life in just a few seconds. He is not the one dying, and he does not see his whole life. The one who is dying is the woman in front of him, and he sees the three years they have been working together.

The moment she arrived at the party for the publication of the last Derrick Storm novel. He had tempted fate by asking for someone to say something different, and suddenly Kate had arrived, showed him her badge and asked him to go with her.

Their first case together. The man who had killed his sister, and then decided to make it look like it was one of the men the woman worked with, by making the killings look like those of Castle's books. If neither him nor Kate had realized that he had made small mistakes about certain details of the books, they would have not caught him.

Her expression when she realized he was going to shadow her for the purpose of research. She was clearly angry, but Castle noticed that the anger added a spark to her eyes that he had loved. That was one of the reasons he sometimes behaved like he did in front of her, to make that spark appear.

The night his book based on his experiences with Kate was first announced. She had appeared in that gorgeous pink dress, which he still imagined her with from time to time. And her face and their confrontation when she heard the name he had given the main character of the book... that was priceless.

Helping her catch the Butcher of Benin. It had been one of his harebrained ideas, using a bottle of champagne to distract the killer, but one could not deny the success. He had jumped from behind the table, popped the cork, and that gave Kate the opening to gun the killer down.

His confessing that he had looked for what had happened to Kate's mother. She had been angry. Really angry. This wasn't like her reaction to one of his antics. No. That had been pure anger. She had been ready to hit him, or worse. And it had nearly broken down their partnership.

The moment he got the offer to write the books about the British spy. On the one side, he had grown up reading the original books, and had loved them, but on the other side, it would mean that he would have to stop shadowing Kate. He had never been more glad than at the moment he got that call to ask him to write more Nikki Heat books.

Headbutting Coonan, and giving Kate the opening she needed to shoot him. The worst had been the fact that she wouldn't be able to get the identity of the man who ordered her mother to be killed out of him. He had told her he would leave the whole shadowing her. She told him that she needed him to brighten her day, that she really liked working with him. She asked him to stay. And he had stayed.

Shooting at Scott Dunn to stop him from killing Kate. Those days, he had been terrified for her, he had felt very guilty for writing the book, which was what attracted Dunn's attention towards Kate. After she lost her house, he had taken her into his, no questions asked. It was only for a few days, but he had enjoyed every second she was there.

Watching her with Demming, and then with Josh. When he told her he would always be there, it was not an empty promise. He would always be her friend, and he loved being her partner. But he was not sure if he would be able to keep up doing that if she was with some other man. It hurt a lot to see her there, and not being the one that made her smile.

The door was kicked down, and Kate was just behind it, with her gun and torch, ready to shoot at the Triple Killer, who had tied him down and knocked Ryan out. He felt really guilty at the fact that he hadn't been able to realize the truth sooner, and that the Triple Killer had escaped. But she was so nice about it. She had consoled him in what was probably the first time they had not managed to catch the killer.

Tackling Lockwood to stop him from killing Kate. Just a few minutes before, he had taken advantage of their need to distract one of Lockwood's accomplices to kiss her. It had been everything he had imagined and more. They had freed Esposito and Ryan. And when he realized Lockwood had nearly killed Kate, his anger had added strength to his punches.

Pulling the wires. The day before, they had been about to die in that freezer. He had been glad that Alexis had called to warn about their disappearance. And, in that moment, he had done the only thing he thought would work. He had done it to save her. To save Kate. To be able to see her laugh and her smile, even if it was once more.

Traveling to Los Angeles to catch the man that killed Mike Royce. He had never asked her about it, but he suspected that she had actually loved Royce, as she had told the latter over the phone. She had said it was only a lie to give Ryan and Esposito time to find where he was, but he thought he saw a couple of tears on her face before she turned around. It did not matter. He was Kate's friend, and he would do anything for her.

The fight. She was furious over being kicked out of the Lockwood case, and he had gone to her apartment to try and convince her to stop doing this. She had shouted at him and told him she did not want to work with him anymore. That had broken his heart, but he knew it was her choice, and he would respect it.

Carrying her out of the hangar, while Montgomery faced her would-be killers. He respected Montgomery, so when he told him he needed him there, he did it. And taking Kate out of there, to a safer place, knowing Montgomery would probably die, while Kate cried and shouted at him to let her go, was the hardest thing he had ever done, especially when he tried to keep her silent, so that they were not found.

All those moments go through his mind, and make him hate himself for being a coward. For not telling her the truth sooner. For having dates with other women, when he loves her.

So deep in his thoughts he is, that he hardly notices two pairs of hands holding him, taking him away from Kate. The paramedics start to heal her. He pays no attention to that. He can only see Kate's lifeless green eyes, looking at nothing.

He hardly notices being taken into a car. He can only feel how Kate's blood floods out of her injury, despite his attempts to stop it.

As Alexis hugs him, crying, he mechanically hugs her back, caressing her hair, and wishing he did not have to do this. Not because he does not love his daughter: he loves her, and he wants to push away her tears. But because he knows she is crying for Kate, and he feels several tears escaping his eyes, because he is crying for Kate, too. He wants Kate with them, so that none of them has reason to cry.

They reach the hospital, and he is directed towards the waiting room. He hates waiting. He hates being apart from Kate. He hates knowing that she is fighting for her life right now on the surgery table. That, at any moment, her life thread might be cut, and then nothing will ever be the same.

He needs her. He needs to have her by his side. He needs to crack a small joke and see that beautiful smile of hers. He needs to say something funny and hear one of those answers of hers that always leave him breathless.

He needs to tell her again that he loves her.


	3. Chapter 3: Alexis' Reflections

Chapter 3

Alexis' Reflections

As they wait at the hospital waiting room, she can not help but look at Dad.

He has been the only constant in her life. Her mother left them when she was hardly four. When she was seven, he got married to Gina, who tried, but she couldn't connect to her. She knows Dad has had many girlfriends and one-night stands. Her Grams has always been there, but she has not done everything for her as Dad has.

Even if he sometimes behaves like a kid, she knows Dad would do anything for her. He has been the one that has taken care of him from the day she was born. Even if sometimes it looks like she is the one that takes care of him.

However, there has been another woman lately. One woman that has, against all expectations, managed to do what more than thirty years and two wives have not been able to: make Richard Castle mature. Even if it is a bit.

She remembers the first time she met Kate. It was the same time Dad met her, too. Kate arrived to the party that was being hosted over Dad's last book and asked him to come with her. She made a joke over the fact that Dad had probably called it onto himself with that comment of his.

Ever since he decided to work with Kate, she has realized that there is something going on with them. She knows that Dad is... was attracted to Kate. Ever since he met her, she seems to be one of things he likes to talk the most about. He has been writing those books about her, too.

But it is not only about the books, anymore. He goes every day to see her work. He accompanies her to the crime scenes. He goes with her to catch and arrest the suspects. They have saved each others' lives several times.

And she knows that Dad is not only attracted to Kate Beckett. She knows that he is in love with her. Head-over-heels in love with her. The kind of love for which you would do anything, even risk your life.

He has not said it. But she knows how to read between lines. And she knows her father.

She also likes Kate. Dad has also played Mum when it was required. Grams has helped her with certain things that she did not want to discuss with Dad. But, from the moment Kate entered their lives, she has found someone with whom she can relate, with whom she can talk with about teenage girl things. She helped her with her decision over whether going to France would be a good idea or not.

In some ways, she already thinks of Kate as her mother. She has seen her when she is with Dad. If someone puts a Bible in front of her, she would be able to swear that she can see the sparks fly between them when they are faced off.

She looks at Dad. She sees how rundown he is. It is like he has suddenly turned ten years older in the span of a few hours. She sees his cheeks are a bit wet from crying. She sees his eyes are red. And his eyes have lost the spark.

She hugs Dad a bit tighter, suddenly remembering the moment Kate was shot. For a millisecond, she feels thankful that it was not Dad that got shot. But soon, she feels worse, because it sounds as if she feels thankful that Kate was shot.

She tries to cast those bad feelings aside as Dad hugs her back, and she looks around. Kate's dad is in front of them, as downcast, or even worse, as both Dad and her are. Grams is sitting next to him, making him company. She smiles at her, a weak smile, and Grams returns it. Both of them know that they have to be strong for the two most important men in Kate's life.

Next to Dad, she can see Esposito and Lanie, hugging. She is happy that they are together. She really likes them, and thinks Lanie is very funny. She doesn't know how she manages it, given that she is working with dead bodies all the time. Must be gallows humor, like Benjamin Franklin.

Next to Kate's dad, there is Ryan and his fiancée. She has not talked with Jenny apart from a short presentation a few hours ago, but it is clear that they love each other. She wonders if they will invite to their wedding. After all, if Kate and Dad are going to be there, maybe there will be room for herself and, perhaps, Ashley. She should call him to let him know a bit of what has happened.

A doctor enters the waiting room.

"Family of Kate Beckett?" he asks.

She moves a bit out of the way. Dad has jumped so fast that it looks like he has just teleported from sitting to standing. Kate's dad is also standing. A couple of seconds later everybody else is up, too. Even herself.

"I am her father," Kate's dad says.

"All of us are friends," Lanie says.

"Good." The doctor nods. He is grateful that all of them are there for Kate. "I am Doctor Simmons. I can tell you that Miss Beckett is a very lucky woman. The bullet that hit her could have penetrated her heart if it had been a few centimeters in other direction."

"How is she?" Lanie asks. She feels like Dad wants to ask the same question, but he is afraid of doing it.

"She is much better than when she entered, that's for sure. She has two broken ribs and her lung was perforated by the bullet, and the bone fragments also harmed her lung, but we managed to extract all of them and repair the lung. So far, we can't say it for sure, but, if she is as strong as I have heard, I think she will pull through this."

She suddenly finds herself in an embrace. Dad has taken her and is now hugging her, strongly. She can hear Dad sob in happiness. She also feels like crying in happiness. Kate is going to be OK. She is going to pull through this. They will be able to talk again.

And they are going to need it.

Because when Kate gets better she is going to get an earful from her.

For scaring them like that.

For leaving Dad like this.

Because Dad is the most important person in her life.

And she really hates seeing him like this.


	4. Chapter 4: Jim's Talk

Chapter 4

Jim's Talk

He sees him at the other side of the bed.

After the doctor told them his Katie was going to be all right, he hugged Martha. He finds her a nice woman, a bit flamboyant, but a very good woman. He even finds her a bit attractive, despite the years. But he is not looking for a relationship. Even if it sounds a bit weird, he is still loyal to his Jo.

Then, the doctor told them that Katie would wake up in a couple of hours, and that he could allow two people to enter the room. He was the obvious choice, of course. Everybody else looked at him. His mother looked at him, and his daughter gave him a small push, with a tiny smile. Katie's friends also tell him to get in that room, under the threat of great pain. He takes it into stride, but he is clearly nervous about this.

He still remembers the conversation they had a few days ago. He knows he must be feeling guilty, over the fact that he was not able to keep his promise. And, in a way, he feels a bit angry with him.

But he does not allow that anger out. He knows that getting angry with him will not solve a thing. And he also knows that he would have risked his life for Katie. He is sure that there is a chance that the sniper could have tried to shoot at her again if he had not tackled her to the ground.

"Richard," he says, and the other man lifts his eyes, from his seat beside Katie's bed. He is holding her hand as well as he can, as if she were to disappear if he didn't do that. "There is something I want to tell you."

"Look, Mr Beckett, I..."

"Richard, I think I told you already to call me Jim. And you don't have to say you are sorry. I know that, if you could, you would have stopped that bullet any way you could, even if it was with your own body. The guilt here lays with the bastards that shot at my Katie."

He sees Richard sigh in what he can only define as a mix of happiness and relief.

"I met Katie's mother when I was twelve. We were at the same class at high school. She was the new girl, and I offered to show her around. She soon became my best friend. We got married a couple of years after we finished with university, and a year later Katie was born."

He sees that Richard is looking at him. He is clearly interested in what he is saying.

"Katie... she was the joy of our lives. Jo got injured as she gave birth to her, and the doctor told us we would not be able to have more children. We did not let that take us down, though. We took care of Katie, and we loved her with all of our hearts.

"Losing Jo... that was very hard for the two of us. I am sure Katie has told you already about what happened to us. If it had not been for her, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to survive Jo's death. When she joined the Police Department, we had an argument. I knew why she was doing it, and I tried to convince her to leave it and do something else, but... you know how stubborn Katie is. We didn't speak for two months. We finally managed to mend things, but it has always been very hard for me, knowing that my daughter would be risking her life every day in the streets of New York.

"Ever since Jo died, Katie has been too serious, way too serious, especially in regards to her job. Everything changed three years ago, when we met for our weekly dinner, and she told me about this obnoxious writer that had somehow managed to get into the police department for 'research purposes'." He heard Richard chuckle a bit at that.

"It was the first time I heard her laugh about something from work. And week after week, I could notice how she slowly changed. She started to let her hair a bit looser, she learned to have fun. I could see that the 'obnoxious writer' was helping her notice the good side of life, the one she had been missing for years. And, every week, she would tell me about the writer, about the last thing he had got up to, about the last harebrained idea he had pulled off or the last mad theory he had suggested.

"It was a few months into the second year when I suddenly realized that meeting the writer was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was obvious that she felt something for the writer, but whenever I asked her about it, she always denied it. I know she has had a couple of boyfriends, but never has a man called her attention so much.

"I know that this last summer, Katie had a really bad time. She never told me the reason, but I figured out it had something to do with the writer. And then, when the writer arrived, she was happy again, even if she tried to say it was because of her new boyfriend. Because only the writer has been able to bring out that shining smile from her. And, after everything else that has happened this year, I am one hundred percent sure that the writer is the 'one-and-done' for my Katie."

He looks at Richard intently. "Richard, a few days ago I asked you to promise to try and convince Katie to stop investigating Jo's death. Now, I need you to promise something else. I need you to promise me that you will make her happy. That you will give her the life she deserves. That you will stop at nothing for her. "

"That's what I intend, Jim," Richard replies, with a smile. "If she'll let me, I'll make sure that she will be happy her whole life."

"That's everything I can ask from you," he says, smiling back. Both of them continue their vigil of the woman that is so dear to their hearts.

_You are a really lucky girl, Katie_, he thinks, watching the writer trying to get close to her.


	5. Chapter 5: Kate's Dream

Chapter 5

Kate's Dream

She is in the middle... of nothing.

It's all white around her. She is not stepping on something. But, at the same time, she is not floating, either. It is an indescribable sensation. She is just... there. Wherever _there_ is.

She realizes that she is completely naked. There is not anyone around her, but still she feels a bit ashamed. She wishes that she had some clothes with her, and slowly her favorite shirt, her slightly jaded jeans and the low-heel boots she loves to wear materialize around her body. Everything fits her like her beloved leather gloves.

The whiteness starts to clear away. She notices that now there is solid floor below her feet. It looks like marble. She crouches down and touches it. Yes. It is very smooth. It is marble.

The white around here continues to dissolve, and she notices that the place she is in has a very tall roof, and it is really wide. She knows she has been in here many times, but she cannot say where _here_ is.

As the white keeps being pushed back, she starts to hear short steps behind her. She automatically moves her hand towards her waist, before remembering she does not have a gun with her. She turn around and... she can not believe it.

In front of her, stands a woman she has not seen in the last twelve years. A woman she would not have expected to see ever. Her eyes soon start to swell with the tears she has kept inside her for so much time, and she gives a step forward, and then another, and another, until she finally finds herself in the embrace of the woman.

Johanna Beckett. Her mother.

"Sshhh, honey," Johanna says, as she cries over her shoulder, as she feels all the barriers she has built around her heart crumble into dust, those barriers she started to build the day her mother died, and through which only three people had managed to get through: her father Jim, her best friend Lanie, and, lately, the writer that had wormed himself into her life and, without her noticing, into her heart.

"I am here, Katie. I am here," Johanna says, caressing her long hair, while she keeps sobbing on her shoulder. It takes her several minutes, but in the end she manages to calm down, and she moves a bit back, so that she can see her mother's face.

"Mom," she whispers, clearly not believing what her eyes are telling her.

"Hey, no more crying, honey," Johanna says, touching the tip of her nose with her finger. Despite herself, she laughs. "That's better. I have missed your laugh a lot."

"Mom," she repeats. "How can this be? Is this a... dream?"

"Of course it is a dream, but why should that mean it isn't real?" Johanna replies. Then, she grins. "I have always wanted to say that."

"Ugh, Mom. Don't make Harry Potter jokes. And how the hell did you get to read it?" she asks, momentarily forgetting that she is talking with her dead mother.

"Where we are, we get to read every book ever written. I am not sure if the copyright laws can be applied there, but, well, that is something I should try to check at some point in the future..."

"Mom," she says. "What are we doing here?" She looks around and realizes. "OK, now it is getting too much like Harry Potter, this is the Grand Central."

"Well, this is what your subconscious decided to pick for this encounter. Even if you did not expect it. Maybe you could choose something else."

She smiles, and closes her eyes for a few seconds. When she opens them, she finds herself and her mother in a very familiar place. The apartment where she grew up and lived with her parents.

"Nice," Johanna says, sitting down on the large red couch at the side. "Sit down, honey," she tells her, patting next to her.

Feeling like a sixteen-year-old girl again, she sits down on the couch, and her mother takes her hands with a smile.

"You have grown up into a wonderful and beautiful lady," Johanna whispers, smiling. She feels that her cheeks are reddening at a very fast pace. "I am so proud of you, you know."

"Thanks, Mom," she answers.

"Now, let's start with the important things." She feels her guard stand up immediately. She has seen Johanna's wicked smile way too many times to know what she can expect from it. "Would you mind telling me more about this writer boy of yours?" She tells herself that her instinct was right. And that her cheeks are reddening at an even worse level.

"MOM! Castle is not my writer boy!"

"Yet."

"Okay, that was too much like Castle," she accuses her mother.

"Well, I happen to like him for you, honey."

She is struck speechless. Her friend has told her several times she has to drop the idiot ball and jump at him. She knows her partners are making bets of when Castle and her will hook up. She knows Alexis loves her, and would like to see both her and Castle together. Roy told her that he thought they would be great together. Even Mike, who had met Castle only for a few hours, had caught on the fact that there was something special between them. But now... this is her mother, the woman she has always admired, and she is telling her that she likes Castle, that she knows they could be good for each other.

"Kate, I am not here only because of Rick, and what I know you feel for him. This is much bigger than that, although you have to recognize it is quite big," Johanna says, winking at her. "It is about you and Dad. Both of you have suffered too much already from the consequences of my death. I know it is going to be hard enough for you... but maybe you should start to think about letting the past go."

"Mom, you can't honestly ask me to do that," she says. "We are so near to catching the bastard that got you killed. I found your killer, I found why you were killed, I..."

"Katie," Johanna replies, interrupting her. "I am not saying that you just stop investigating. I know you, and I know you are stubborn as a mule. I only want you to stop letting that define your everything. Ever since I died, and you joined the police, you became a workaholic, just so that you did not have to deal with your personal problems. None of the few relationships you have had have been serious, all of them have been with men that you knew you would not have an actual future with."

She wants to complain. Her relationship with Will was serious, and both Tom and Josh had been great boyfriends. But she knows her mother is right. None of them were actually serious things. The only man with whom she has been out of work for more than a few months in the last three years has been Richard Castle. A few days before, he called her out on that. She had told him to get out. He had clearly wanted to say something, but he had complied with her wishes. But he came back. He always comes back. And she is glad for it.

"You deserve happiness, Kate, after everything you have gone through. And you may deny it all you wish, but you know who can give you that happiness. He has been the only man that has been able to bring one of those beautiful smiles out of you. Will you let Richard make you happy?"

"I'm scared, Mom. I'm scared to let my feelings control me. I'm scared that, as soon as we do something, he will lose interest and I will just become another notch on Castle's bedside. I'm scared that I will think he is my one-and-done only to find out that he has fallen for a blond tart and is going to leave me. I'm scared to find that we are not compatible at all and we just fight over it and everything we have will just disappear."

"There is nothing for you to fear, Kate. That man is really in love with you. He has never seen you as a potential conquest. He has been interested in you from the start, and the dedication he made for you in his books clearly shows how highly he thinks of you. I think it is time already that you stop over-thinking with your head and start to let your heart do the thinking from time to time."

She gulps. She has managed to hold onto her life thanks to her being able to control her feelings. Castle has been the only one that has managed to make those flare up out of control, even if it is for a few moments. She fears what may happen if she allows herself to be a bit more out of control.

"I think you are about to actually wake up, Katie," Johanna says.

"Don't leave, Mom, please," she blurts out. She misses her. She has missed her from the moment the policeman told her and her dad that she had died. And she really does not want her to leave again.

"Honey, I am not going to leave you. Just remember, anytime you miss me, I am always in here," Johanna replies, putting her hand over her heart.

"I thought I had asked you not to make any Harry Potter jokes, Mom," she says.

"It may have sounded like a joke. But believe me when I say it is the truth."

Johanna kisses her on the forehead and hugs her again. She puts her head over her mother's shoulder, reveling one last time in that feeling she has missed out for so much time, and the white mist that surrounded her before appear once more, leaving her completely alone again...


	6. Chapter 6: Rick's Hope

Chapter 6

Rick's Hope

He has been waiting by her bedside for almost four hours now. The doctor said three hours. He is starting to worry.

As soon as he was allowed to enter the room, he sat down on the side with the arm unimpeded by the IV tube and carefully took Kate's hand with his. He has caressed her hand all this time, waiting for her to wake up.

After his chat with Jim, he feels a bit better. But only a bit. He will only feel better when he sees her eyelids move and her green irises shining. When her lips curve slightly upwards in a smile. When he finally hears her voice.

Right now, Jim has left to get some fresh air. He certainly cannot stand seeing his girl like this, he muses. He would surely feel the same way if it were Alexis who had been shot. It must be painful for Jim, being reminded of the moment his wife died. He is alone with Kate.

He looks at her face. She has always been a strong woman, independent, smart and beautiful. But, right now, laying on the bed, the cables going into her robe and over her chest as they measure her heart rate, the IV tube into her arm, an oxygen mask helping her to breathe... she looks vulnerable and fragile. Like a gentle breeze could break her in thousands of tiny pieces.

But he will not let that happen. He does not care who enters through that door. Even if the President enters that door and tell him to get out of there, he will tell him to screw it. There is no way he is getting away from Kate until he is one hundred percent sure that she will be OK.

Because, right now, her health and her safety are the most important things to him. And he will be damned if he lets either of them to be compromised, never mind both.

In a twisted sort of way, he wants the guy that shot at Beckett to come here and try to end the job. _Try_ being the operative word: he wants to get his hands on the bastard and give him such a huge beating that Lanie will not be able to check whether he is even a man without making a DNA test.

When he told Kate he researched many things about his books to make them actually look realistic, he meant it. Most everything Derrick Storm is able to do in his books, they are there because he has done them already. His prowess with a handgun is something he is damn proud of, it took him months to reach the point where he can shoot a target dead on its center without steadying himself first.

That means, of course, that he has practiced Derrick's every move. That does not mean he is able to fight like a professional, but it means that he can fight unarmed much better than what people think. He has not done it, but he thinks he could give any of the guys at the 12th Precinct a run for their money in a hand-to-hand fight. That is why he wants to find that bastard, because he wants to teach him how much of a bad idea it was to attempt to kill Kate.

So absorbed he is within his thoughts of protection towards Kate and of revenge towards her shooter that he hardly notices her hand starting to react to his caresses. It takes him a minute to do it. But when he notices Kate is trying to squeeze his hand, and that her hand is doing minute movements in response to his thumb going over her palm, he stands up, hopeful that she is going to wake up.

The moment she opens her green eyes, those beautiful eyes that remind him of emeralds, of deep forests, of grass fields, of places in which he wants to get lost, he feels something tugging at his heart. It is the renewed hope of her being alive again. The happiness at knowing that he has not lost his chance. That he will be able to take her between his arms, hug her, kiss her with all his strength, tell her once and again how much he loves her.

"Rick," she says weakly. To him, it is the most wonderful sound he has ever heard. The one he feared he would not hear ever again. The sound of her voice. Even behind the oxygen mask, and with her pain and tiredness evident, it is so beautiful that he feels his tears are threatening to escape through his eyes.

"Hey, Kate," he answers. It is the only thing he feels he can say without breaking down.

"How are you?" she asks. He feels the corners of his mouth twitching up. Here she is, on a hospital bed after being shot and operated on for hours, and the first thing she asks is how he is.

"Worried. Worried about you, Kate. About whether you would pull through this. But I knew you would do it. Because you are one of the strongest women I have ever met."

Kate smiles at him. Or, at least, she tries. The mask does not give her a great freedom of movement to her face, but it is enough to let him see what she is trying to do.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asks, worried. If she does not remember the last thing he told her before her lights went off, he does not know how much time he will need to gather the courage to tell her again. It is quite hard to do it. And, if she does not remember, he will have to find a better moment. As far as he knows, Kate is still with Josh. As far as he knows, Kate is happy with Josh. And he does not want to make her unhappy.

"I remember... the pain... falling to the floor... you holding me..." she answers in short breaths. She squeezes his hand stronger. "You telling me..." She cannot finish the sentence. He can see some tears falling out of her eyes. She now looks more vulnerable than ever. He knows how strong the barriers around her heart are. He should: after all he has had to use all his observational skills to find any weak points in her barriers. He has managed to find them several times, and has peeked across them to unwrap the enigma that is Katherine Beckett.

And now, he is seeing how some of those barriers are breaking and falling down in ruins. How now, for the first time in years, she allows someone else other than her father to see her whole heart, her whole soul, through the green windows in her face.

And he loves her the more for it. Because that means she trusts him completely. She trusts him with her heart, to guard and protect it.

And he will not break that trust, ever. Because she also holds the keys to his heart, she is the one he trusts with his own heart and soul, to protect them much like she has protected his body so many times in the last three years.

"You remember, don't you?" he asks softly, with a smile on his face, caressing her face. Kate nods, looking directly into his eyes. He brings her hand to his lips, and kisses it softly. "It is the truth, Katherine." It is not the first time he calls her by her full name. But it is the first time he puts so many of his emotions into it. "I love you, Katherine Beckett. I love your wonderful green eyes. I love your shining smile. I love your inquisitive mind. I love your great heart. I love all of you. I do not want you to forget it. And, if you will let me, I will tell you every day of what I hope will be a very long life, so that you never have any reason to doubt how much I love you."

Now the tears come at a greater pace from Kate's eyes, and he feels he is going to lose his battle against crying, but he does not care. This is the woman he loves. There is no doubt about that. That is as true as the fact that the sun rises from the east and sets down in the west.

Even under that mask, her smile is blindingly shiny. The sparkles in her eyes tell him everything he wants to know, but he wants to hear it from her lips. And, as the Book says, _Ask and ye shall receive_.

"I love you, Richard Castle," Kate says, doing an obvious effort to answer. He felt his heart is about to burst from the joy of hearing her saying those three words to him. He dries her tears with his thumbs, and leans over her, so that their faces are nearer. He wishes that the mask was not there, so that he could kiss her lips, but there is no need. His eyes contain the promise to do it as soon as she can receive it.

He notices that her heart rate has sped up considerably. It is beating at nearly 100 beats per minute, as opposed to her usual 55.

"Wow, did I do that?" he asks, and is rewarded with a smile and sparkling eyes that show she is laughing on the inside. He kisses her forehead and her cheeks, before kissing her hand again.

"I am so glad that you are awake again, Kate. I don't think I would have been able to keep on if you had died."

"Don't say that... Castle... you have Alexis... and your mother," she replies.

"How do you think all of us would have felt if you had died, Kate?" he asks. "Do you think any of us could have gone on like before if you were not with us anymore? Do you think your father could stand to hear that he has lost the only family he has? Do you believe that Lanie could have been as happy as she is if you leave? Do you think Ryan and Esposito would be able to work as well as they do, remembering every day that their boss and friend will not join them anymore in their investigations? Do you think Alexis could stand to know that her favorite detective and one of her best friends will never talk to her anymore? Do you..." he stops, and tries to rein in the feelings of desperation that surged when she was shot and that are threatening to reappear. "Do you think I could recover from losing the woman that has been one of the best people I have ever met, my partner, my muse, my beloved?" The last question, he says in a whisper. It is an attempt to ward off the mere possibility of losing her.

Kate shakes her head. He knows that he has gotten through her. She is great at empathizing with the victims' families of every case she investigates, but sometimes it looks like she does not realize how important she is to others.

He caresses her cheeks again. She raises a shaking hand and passes it over his face. He leans into that caress, glad and happy. He has never thought about it, but now that it is happening, he cannot help but notice how... _right_ this is. How great his face fits into her hand. For a few seconds, he feels powerless. It is incredible, he thinks, how, even at her most vulnerable state, she has so much control or power over him. And he shudders to think what can happen when she completely recovers, when she becomes once more the powerful, attractive, sexy Detective Beckett.

Her hand slowly drops, and he notices her eyes are blinking.

"Are you tired, Kate?" he asks.

"Yes."

"It must be that, after the surgery and everything else, you need to sleep more. Why don't you close those beautiful eyes of yours and catch up, while I tell everyone you have been awake?"

Kate smiles again, sleepily, and he feels his tender side rise, just like it does whenever he takes care of Alexis. He rearranges the covers so that she does not go cold, and he kisses her forehead again.

"I wish... I didn't have... this mask on," Kate says, almost asleep now.

"Don't worry, the moment you can go on without the mask, I'll give you a kiss so good that it will make your hair curl itself," he replies, which makes her giggle. That is a sound he archives within his mind, and which he swears will try to bring out as many times as possible. It is so adorable that it cannot be kept tucked away. "Sleep tight, Katherine."

"Thank you, Richard." She closes her eyes and in a few seconds she is deeply asleep. He smiles and comes out of the room as silently as possible, to send a message to his friends and family. Good news this size must be shared, after all.

A/N: This one is dedicated to the peace of my eyes, my lady of the night, who I wish was here so that I could tell her what Richard Castle tells Katherine Beckett.


	7. Chapter 7: Lanie's Joy

Chapter 7

Lanie's Joy

She is sitting down next to her friend's table. Not on her chair. She will not disrespect that. That chair is Katherine Beckett's, and if someone tries to sit down on it she will make sure to smack them hard on the head. And there is no way she is going to sit on Writer Boy's chair. The first (and last) person that was not Castle and tried that got glared at by Katherine so hard he got nightmares for several days.

Not that Castle knows, of course. Kate swore her to secrecy. Damn that woman. She has denied for nearly three years her attraction to Castle. She has told her that she should do something, but instead she kept going for guys that did not suit her.

But this ends now. If she has to, as soon as Kate gets out of the hospital, she is going to take her and Castle and lock them in the break room until they are either making out like two teenagers in lust or one of them is dead. Should that happen, she would bet on Castle's being the body she would have to hide away.

Talking about bodies, she is glad that there are none in the lab. She cannot stop thinking about how near her friend has been to death, and right now she knows that any body she were to work with would inevitably wear Kate's face, even if the body is that of a completely unknown person.

She hears several steps coming towards her, and a pair of long, dark-skinned arms surround her while two lips kiss her right behind her left ear.

"Hey, Chica," the man that has kissed her says, softly.

"Hey yourself, Javi," she replies, smiling, and turning around so that she can kiss her boyfriend as he hugs her.

"What are you doing here?" Javier asks. "Not that I am not glad, I am just surprised."

"There are no bodies coming today. Got told the other precincts would handle today for us."

"Huh. I was wondering about the fact that we were not getting any actual calls. There is only paperwork to do... but there was so little that I finished it all real fast," he confesses.

"I also want to know how Beckett is doing, Javi, but we have to wait." She sighs. "I am sure she is going to get out of the woods soon, but..."

"You still fear for her, don't you?"

"Yes. You never know, with injuries like those. They seem to be under control after the surgery, but at any moment the stitches can break and everything gets worse."

"Don't worry, Lanie. Beckett is going to pull through this, and then she is going to help us catch the bastard that nearly killed her. And then we will all have to take turns watching each other so that the guy does not end up mysteriously dead."

"Nice. And I guess I'll end up having to rule it as natural causes while saying his injuries were caused during his arrest, after he resisted authority," she says.

"That remains undisputed," Javier replies with a small chuckle. "Of course, we will have to keep Castle well away from the guy, or else it will be impossible to pass his death as natural or accidental."

"True," she replies, chuckling too. She leans into his embrace, before putting her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly.

"Where is Ryan?" she asks, once they break the kiss.

"He sent me a text. Said that he was going to take Jenny home and stay with her. She has taken all of this rather bad, and Ryan knows it will take a bit to calm her down."

"Hope she does not get too nervous about him going back to work."

"I hope the same."

Just then, their mobile phones bleep, telling them that they have received text messages.

"Who do you think this is?" Javier asks.

"Twenty bucks say it's Castle about our girl," she says.

"Ain't betting on a sure thing, babe," he replies, taking his phone out and checking the message, while she does the same.

Both of them have the same message.

_Kate is awake! RC(L)KB! :D_

They look at each other, and they have the same silly grin. They are really happy to see Kate has awakened, and the last half of the message makes the first half even sweeter.

"So, how do you think it happened?"

"I guess that, as soon as she opened her eyes, she declared him her undying love."

"Naaah, that's not the Kate I know. I bet that he has taken her into his hands, hugged her, said something dirty, and after she looked at him as if he wanted to kill him for that, he said he was sorry and then he told her how much he has loved her from the day they met. And then Kate smiled at him and told him she loved him, too."

"Well, you know what this means, don´t you?"

"Yes, that you get to pump the info out of Castle and I'll take charge of Kate."

"Yeah!" Javier says, laughing. "Also, I am wondering, who won the pool?"

"I don't remember. I would have to check the list. I have it at my office," she replies.

"We will have to take care of that, later. Now, since you don't have anything to do, and I have finished the paperwork, why don't we get out of here, have a celebration for the eye-sex couple finally getting together, and then go visit them."

"Are you really trying to entice me into having sex just because our friends will soon have it, too?" she asks, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh, no, not at all, Chica. It was more of a misguided attempt to take you to drink some coffee, preferably at my house, with the whole sex thing being a nice extra I would love to experience, but not one that is expected to happen at all."

"Oh, honest, Javi, if you ever channel Castle again, Imma smack you!" she threatens, and he smiles cheekily at her. "But I will not say no to that coffee if it comes with something sweet."

"Am I not sweet enough for you?" Javier avoids her smack and then hugs her for all his worth before kissing her soundly on the mouth. "OK, let's go to the coffee shop and take a bear claw for you. Then we can meet Castle at the hospital and check on what the two of them did."

"Great plan, baby," she replies, and hooks an arm with his, both of them leaving the precinct and hoping that their friend and co-worker will be back with them soon.

A/N: This one is dedicated to my muse, who even at more than 1000 kilometers away is able to give me great inspiration for my writing, and make me smile just with her memory in my head. May Rick&Kate go the same way my muse and I do.

A/N2: Honest, would it actually kill you to write reviews? I find it a bit depressing that more than 8000 people have read at least part of this story and I only have 23 reviews. Remember, the more reviews the happier I am!


	8. Chapter 8: Josh's Surrender

Chapter 8

Josh's Surrender

He had been woken up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital. He was needed to perform an emergency heart operation. He had tried to get someone else to do it, but all other cardiologists had either just come out of making an operation or were not available, so the hard task fell to him. He grumbled the whole way to the hospital, but after having a large cup of coffee – which reminds him of _her_ – he is ready to get into the operating table.

The operation took two and a half hours to complete. He was really tired, and did not want to risk his neck by going back home on the bike, especially when he had to come back to work the next morning, so he just went to the hospital break room and laid down on the sofa, where he fell asleep.

Now, he awakens, and the first thing he notices is that someone has covered him with a blanket. He silently thanks whomever cared for him like this and attempts to brush off the sleep from his eyes, standing up and folding the blanket in eight, before putting it into the drawer.

As he serves himself a cup of coffee, two of the nurses enter the break room.

"... saw Richard Castle!" one of them almost shouts.

"Where did you see him?" the other one asks.

"I saw him at the ICU wing, he was grinning like he ate a canary, and then he entered one of the rooms. I heard something about a policewoman being shot, and he is here watching over her."

He pays no more attention to the nurses, and walks out of the break room, intent on going to the ICU wing. There is only one policewoman he knows that Richard Castle could be watching over. He is very worried about this. If Kate has been shot, he wants to know how she is. They broke up a couple of days ago, and the pain of doing it is still fresh, but he knows she was right. He cares about her much, and wants to make sure she is alright.

It does not take him much time to find the room. He actually manages to catch Castle as he goes from the bathroom towards what he guesses is Kate's room.

"Castle," he says, trying to keep his voice down. He turns around and seems surprised.

"Davidson. What are you doing here?"

"I work here. And I just heard about Kate being here. What the hell happened?"

"She was shot during Montgomery's funeral," he replies in a clipped and slightly nervous tone.

"What?" he asks.

"Nobody told you?" Castle asks, surprised.

"No. I heard it by chance just a few minutes ago, I heard some nurses talking about you and someone who had been shot and thought it was Kate. How is she?"

"She got a couple of ribs broken, and her lung was harmed, but they got her into surgery and they managed to repair everything. She woke up about half an hour ago."

He sighs. If she has woken, that means she is alright. That makes him glad.

"Do you want to see her?" Castle asks, nervous.

"Well, I am not sure..."

"Come on, Davidson, this is your girlfriend, aren't you going to make the effort to see her."

"My girlfriend? Didn't Kate tell you?" he says, surprised.

"Tell me what?"

"We broke up three days ago."

His face is one of surprise, and a second later of happiness mixed with curiosity. "Why did you break up?"

He sighs again. "It was mutual. You know, with all my traveling around the world, and her job which can call her at any hour of the day, even if it is at 4 AM, we realized our relationship was not something that could actually work. I am glad that I got to enjoy the time I had with her, but I know when I have lost the chance. Especially given that you are here."

"I beg your pardon?"

He chuckles. "Look, Castle, I am not blind. I have seen the way you look at Kate. I know how much you care about her. I know lots of things about what the two of you have been doing these three years. I would have been surprised if you did _not_ like her."

"Yeah, it is impossible to dislike her," Castle replies, a smile on his face.

"Thing is, right now, both of us are just friends. I admit that I would have loved to hook up with her again, because I really like her, but I know she likes you a lot, and that I would not have a snowball's chance in hell of going out with her again. And I am sure that she trusts you with things she never told me. So I hope that you are able to hold on to that trust, Castle. Because if you don't, I may just have to throw you out of the window."

"Hey, no worries, Davidson. First, if you threw me out of the window, Kate would arrest you. And second, there will be no need for those threats. She is far too important for me to harm her in any way or form."

"That is all I can ask from you, then, Castle," he says.

"Rick."

"What?"

"Call me Rick." Castle offers his hand, and he stretches it.

"Then, call me Josh." A moment of awkward silence happens between them. "Can I see Kate? Even if it is for a few seconds. Unfortunately, I have to get back to work real soon, and I need to freshen up a bit before that."

"Sure. I'll tell you, she is deep asleep, so try not to wake her up, please."

"I know, I know, she needs her rest. Just give me a minute with her. I promise I won't do anything to her."

"Well, if you are really not doing anything to her... go in. Remember, I am going to be watching you, and if I see you doing something funny, you are going to wish for some real fast flying lessons."

He smiles at the joke Castle has made, and slowly opens the door.

There she is, lying on the bed. She is as beautiful as ever. She might have an oxygen mask on her, but it cannot mask her beauty. He is really jealous of Castle right now. He can stay with her the whole time. When she is awake, he will be the one that keeps her company. And when she is released from the hospital, he will be the one that takes care of her – well, as much as she allows him to.

He would love to fight for her, but, as he has just told Castle, he knows that the gig is up, and that he has lost the race. He is a gracious loser, and wishes both of them well. He leans over Kate and kisses her forehead.

"Hey, Kate. I just heard about what happened to you," he whispers. "And I am sorry. I wish I could have been there to help you, but that is not important. The important thing is that you get well soon, so that you can help your partners find the man that shot you and kick his ass to push him into a cell. And... well, I know about Castle. I know we have had our differences about our opinion of him, but, even if I feel he is taking my girl from me, I am glad he is here, because I know he is going to take care of you, and that he is going to make you happy. I hope you will let him in, more than you did with me, because you deserve to be happy." He kisses her again, this time on the cheeks. "Take care, Kate. And let yourself be taken care of."

He turns around, and sees Castle waiting next to the door.

"Did you hear something?" he asks.

"Not a thing. I just was watching out, in case you attempted to do something funny."

"Well, as you can see, nothing funny happened. It was only to tell Kate to be careful." His beeper sounds. "Damn. I have to get back to work. Rick, take care of her, and make sure that she doesn't have to come back to a hospital."

"I'll do my best to insure that," Castle replies. "Good luck, Josh. I hope you get the luck you deserve."

"Thank you, Rick." He stretches his hand again and leaves, ready to work again on the hospital and trying to save lives.

And, on the way, he feels as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

A/N: I hope that you liked this chapter as much as the previous ones. I feel that Josh is a character a bit maligned in the scene of fanfiction. I think that he is a nice guy whose only "sin" was to become Kate's boyfriend during the third season and preventing the Nth chance of Rick trying to tell Kate what he felt for her, and this is my take on it, trying to offer Josh the chance to shine even if it is for a few moments, and to show his nobility of character (OK, that one I admit I pulled it out of my ass, but you can't deny the rightness of it). Just trying to push the treatment of Josh a bit towards the good part.

In regards to reviews, I am glad that you heeded my advice. Chapter 7 is the one with the most reviews so far. Now, let's see if you guys can bet the previous record and get Chapter 8 to have even more reviews!

And now, messages for certain reviewers!

My muse: I liked your message. Loads. And I also miss you a lot. I wish you were here, so that I could talk with you, so that we could go on a walk to the park, and so that we could enjoy a film together. Remember that you are, for me, my Kate Beckett, and I hope that that never changes ;).

stonegnome1: Huh. I had not thought of that. Say that, in this chapter, the guard was doing a short patrol around the place.

bones35: I also prefer "clean" stories. Seriously, it makes me ashamed to see English-speaking people commit elementary mistakes that I would never get caught doing.

Sean: Your critique, like all constructive criticism, is welcome here. I share your hate for poor spelling and grammar. Sometimes, I am ashamed to see people that clearly are English-speakers commit horrendous grammar mistakes, when I, a Spanish-speaker, can write in English much better than those people do. As to what you wrote, I guess you are somewhat right when it comes to the tense thing. In Spanish, "to be sitting down" can have two translations, one being that the action is in course (she is going from standing up to sitting down) and the second being that she has already done that. And the reason why certain sentences are separated with dots instead of semicolons is because it gives (to me) the feeling that those are the character's thoughts, slightly uncontrolled and else. I hope that this answer satisfies you.

agah14: I didn't know whether Castle would actually send a message re: their declarations of mutual love, but I think it would be quite in character for him. And I wasn't sure if he would say "Kate loves me" or something like that, but I think it would be a bit better to put up something more... bi-directional, so to speak.


	9. Chapter 9: Martha's Pride

Chapter 9

Martha's Pride

As she enters the hospital, she can't help but feel some tremors going through her old body. She has never liked hospitals. They remind her of grave illnesses, of relatives' and friends' deaths.

She carries with her a duffel bag with clothes. Her son Richard did not go with her and Alexis, and had stayed with Detective Beckett in the hospital, which was a decision she understood and fully shared. Even if everybody else had not been pushing him to go to the room, she was sure he would have gone in.

Alexis is not coming with her. This is only a short visit, enough to give Richard some clothes so that he can get changed, and to make sure the three in the room – Richard, Detective Beckett and her father – are OK. She knows at least that Kate has been awake. And the little add-on to the message Richard sent Alexis, which she shared with her...

From the first moment she met Kate Beckett, she knew there was great attraction between Richard and her. At least, Richard was clearly attracted to Kate, an attraction that only grew as they kept working together and slowly evolved into something deeper than mere physical attraction. And the few times she has seen Kate, it is clear that there is a spark of interest in her eyes whenever she is faced with Richard, a spark she always tries to suppress.

She makes her way towards the ICU, towards the door that has a policeman on watch. That one is the only one that can be where Kate is, right now.

"Stop," the policeman says. He looks a bit old, around his fifties. A bit too old for doing this kind of job, she thinks. "Who are you?"

"I'm Martha Rodgers, Richard Castle's mother. I have brought him a bag of clothes so that he can get changed."

"Martha Rodgers?" the policeman asks, jumping from his chair. "My wife is a great fan of yours, and would never forgive me if I didn't try to ask for your autograph."

She is surprised, and she smiles. Knowing that she still has fans out there, even if they don't seem to be as common as they were in her youth, always warms her heart. And this man obviously wants to do something for his wife.

"Of course. It is always nice to meet a fan. Do you have something where I can sign that autograph for your wife?"

"Sure," the officer says, and takes a small notebook out of his and a pen. "My wife is called Hope."

"Hope, that is a beautiful name," she replies, "and a good prospect for our situation, too."

"I hope so, too," the officer says, cringing at the lame joke he has made.

She smiles again, and takes the notebook and pen. She looks at the officer's shirt, noticing his surname is Martin.

_To Hope Martin,_

_With many thanks for the work your husband does for my family,_

_Signed,_

_Martha Rodgers._

"Here you are, officer."

"Thank you very much, Miss Rodgers. She is going to love this. Now, give me a second so that I can call your son..." The officer nears the door and opens it, entering the room. He starts to whisper something which she cannot hear, and soon he comes out, followed by her son.

She feels so proud of her boy. She has never told him in so many words, but she is proud of him for many things.

She felt proud when he finished his schooling. He was an intelligent boy, but also somewhat difficult, which meant he went to many different high schools during his secondary education. That he was able to not only pass, but to do it with good marks, was impressive.

She felt proud when he published his first best-seller. Even if, by his own standards, it wasn't Shakespeare, his books were still an entertaining read, very good and realistic, sometimes funny, sometimes scary, and sometimes sexy. She sometimes wishes that she were younger, so that she could play the women in his books.

She felt proud when he presented her a little red-haired bundle. She had never liked Meredith. Sure, she herself was slightly flighty, but Meredith took that to the extreme, and she never forgave her for leaving Richard alone with their girl. However, she preferred that to having to deal with her taking care of Alexis. In spite of being a bit childish and immature, Richard had taken care of Alexis wonderfully, and the little red-haired bundle had become a beautiful, sensible and intelligent teenager.

She felt proud whenever he presented a new book, which would nearly always become a best-seller. The Derrick Storm series had become an instant success, and it had allowed her son to have a great life. And, in spite of appearances, he was still able to keep his life private, and didn't let the fame go to his head... well, he may have let it a bit, but not too much.

She felt proud when he started working for the police department. His relationship with the law enforcement office wasn't exactly squeaky clean, and maybe the purported, initial reasons for doing it weren't completely selfless, but as the time passed, it was obvious how it slowly became less about the books and more about actually helping solve the crimes, about helping the people. About helping _her_.

However, it is now when she feels her proudest about her son. Willing to do anything for _her_. The woman he has fallen in love with. Without care for himself.

"Hey, kiddo," she says.

"Hey, mother," he replies, and they hug. "How are you? And Alexis?"

"Your daughter is much better now that she knows that her favorite detective is awake, although a bit miffed at having to stay at home. And I am well, too. I brought you some clothes." She points to his shirt. "You still have blood on you, Richard."

Her son looks down, and it is as if he had just noticed about the red spots in his clothes.

"Damn," he mutters.

"You'd better get changed, kiddo, if you don't want Kate to wake up and see the blood in there."

"OK. It'll take me a couple of minutes. Do you want to stay for a moment? Jim is inside, and I am sure he could use a conversation with someone that was not me," he replies.

"I'll do that, Richard. Now, go get changed, you'll want to be clean for when Kate wakes up again."

"Thank you, mother," he replies, and runs to the nearest bathroom while she enters the room. Inside, she finds Kate's father and sits down next to him.

"Hello, Martha," he says.

"Hello, Jim. How are you?"

Jim's expression falters slightly, showing his worry. "I feel better now that I know Katie has already woken up. But, still... it is hard for me, seeing her lying there. It reminds me too much of what happened to Johanna."

She takes his hand and squeezes it, knowing what he is talking about.

"It was so hard for both of us... The only thing I could do to push her death away from my mind was to get drunk. And it only worked for a couple of hours. So I had to drink again. If it wasn't for Katie, I would have died already. I don't think I'll be able to handle it if she..."

"Jim. She is going to be OK. I know this is hard, but wait a few days and you will see she is right as rain again."

"Are you sure, Martha?" he asks.

"Completely. In fact, I think I am willing to make a small bet with you, if you want." She has his full attention now. "I bet you twenty dollars that my son will ask Kate for marriage in less than a year, and thirty more that they have a child in less than three years."

She manages to do part of what she had intended: she has managed to make Jim smile. She wonders if it is something genetic within her family, being able to cheer up anyone around them with just a few words. She knows her son has never failed to make Kate smile when he wanted to, and Alexis is able to make everyone chipper just by being her usual self.

"Martha, I thank you for your offer, but I fear I am not willing to part with my money so easily."

"Ah, a man after my own heart. Given that our children have already accepted their feelings, perhaps we could... 'push' them towards a happy choice, if you catch my drift," she replies with a wink. Jim's smile becomes more pronounced.

"Oh, I do catch your drift. I would love to have grandchildren at some time soon."

"Then, you should talk with mine. She is a great kid, I am sure you will love her."

"If she is as charming as her father, I have no doubt about it."

The two of them look at each other, thinking about what the future may bring them, and continue their vigil of the woman that is so dear to both of them.

**A/N**: I hope that you liked this chapter like you did with the previous ones. This time, it was Martha's turn to shine through, and show her point of view of the situation, and her pride towards her son. Martha is certainly an interesting character to write about, because she was a big (or medium-big) name at Broadway, which is something that she still remembers and wishes to revive in some way even now that she doesn't have such great roles as she did when younger. This is also a big influence in Castle from the moment he was born, given her constant travelling or her lessened presence at home if she didn't take Richard with him, as well as the fact that he doesn't know who his father is, which accounts for both his immaturity and his protectiveness of Alexis. She is also one of the two pillars of Castle's life (the other being Alexis) before his joining the NYPD as a consultant adds Kate (and perhaps Ryan, Esposito and Lanie) to the list.

In regards to reviews, this chapter got a few less reviews than the previous one (3 less, to be exact), but it is still the second most reviewed chapter. The last 2 chapters only have 2 less reviews than the 6 first chapters put together.

And now, messages for certain reviewers!

My muse: I hope that you are OK, up there in Germany, and that when you finish this chapter and read this message a soft smile spreads all over your beautiful face, making you shine in the darkest night. I miss you, baby, and am still counting the days till you are back here, between my arms.

boston: I don't know. The idea is to make a story up to a certain point with this format (1 chapter, 1 POV), and when that point is reached, mark this fic as complete and start a new one with a normal format, mostly from Beckett's and Castle's POV.

Tonya95, bones35, agah14: yeah. It is something that people at the Harry Potter fanfic 'verse call "Ron The Death Eater", which consists on taking a good character and turning him/her into a complete monster. I don't like that thing very much, and from what little is seen of Josh - and Kate's reactions to him - he is a good guy that Kate really likes, whose only defect is that he is away a lot and thus Kate can't always count on him.

stonegnome1: your corrections have been placed. Thank you.

angelrescue02: Josh is a nice guy. He really likes Kate, and he would love to be with her, but he knows that Kate loves Castle (she has not told him this, but no one said he wasn't smart and didn't know how to read between lines) and he has no chance of getting her to love him, so he tries to go for the next best thing, which is to make her happy, and, given that he knows Castle will be able to do that, he tells Kate to let him make her happy.


	10. Chapter 10: The Hunter's Prey

Chapter 10

The Hunter's Prey

As soon as he makes his shot, he dismounts his sniper rifle and leaves as unconspicuously as possible from the cemetery, paying not too much attention to the policemen that are looking for him.

As soon as he gets out of the cemetery, he sends a message to the one that has hired him. The objective has been shot, but will surely survive, as he has demanded of him. What he has just done is to provide the advert shot. The message is pretty clear. Stand back and you will live. Keep investigating and you will die.

He, personally, doesn't feel anything towards the woman he has shot at. He never has feelings of any kind towards his objectives, save for a small measure of satisfaction when he completes his job, and perhaps a bit of thrill whenever the bullet hits his objective.

And it is a fairly lucrative job. There are many hired killers in the world, but few are so precise as he is. If he is asked to shoot someone in a certain place, he is willing to do it. Of course, it costs more, given that it is a more difficult task, but if he is paid to do it, he does it.

Whenever he is asked to kill someone, normally they want him to do it in a subtle way, so that it can get passed as something else by the police. But shooting someone under the bright sun, in such a way that it is not fatal, in the middle of a policeman funeral, with the objective being surrounded by policemen... that was both a great risk and a delicious challenge for someone like him.

Besides, the objective did have a very interesting edge. She had managed to take down the legendary Rathborn, the one whose identity had always been kept secret despite all efforts by policemen of all the world, because of his killing of some other guy whose investigation had fallen in her hands. Then, she had also managed to capture Lockwood with the aid of that writer of hers. He may have escaped, but it had taken his bosses some money and threats to get Lockwood in a situation that could eliminate a loose end and also set things to free him.

It had not ended up well for Lockwood, in the end he was killed by Montgomery, the policeman that was being buried when he made his shot. He had heard that Montgomery had something to do with all the things surrounding Rathborn and Lockwood, something beyond the police work. He had not asked, but still, it was something that tended to filter through the usual channels.

His mobile phone ringed, to signal that he had received a message. It was to tell him that the second half of the payment for his job had just been deposited in his bank account. That made him glad. If he hadn't received the rest of the money, the man who had hired would have found himself in the same situation as his last objective, only with the bullet far nearer to the heart. He likes to make sure his clients know how far he can go to get paid.

He has taken a couple of hours, walking from the cemetery to his house. He does it at a normal rhythm, because he knows that if he starts running while carrying a briefcase in the middle of the morning it will result somewhat suspicious, and you never know what can happen if some random guy calls the police to tell about some weird movement he has seen.

When he opens the door to his apartment, he enters it and closes the door right behind him, not wishing for his neighbors to poke their noses into his life. He would hate to have to kill a person just because that person could tell on him. Mostly, because faking someone's death in a believable way while driving all suspicion far away from him, erasing any clues of his involvement with said death and all of that in a building full of potential witnesses was awfully complicated. Also, it would mean he would have to leave his apartment, given that he could not risk all of that happening again.

He puts his briefcase away – with the disassembled sniper rifle inside – and sits down in a sofa to relax. He then turns on the television, and dispassionately watches it until it comes to the local news. His work today is mentioned in passing, with the objective's name going unmentioned. He almost smiles when he hears that the hospital released a press release stating that the injured policewoman will recover from her injuries.

Now that he has finished his job for the day, he can relax. He notices the hour and prepares himself a nice lunch, a nice steak with some fries, and a small salad. He savors them with the taste of someone used to eating good food, and after finishing his meal he washes everything he has used in the last hour and a half.

The rest of his afternoon is spent doing several other things: checking his investments in the stock market – some of them going up, the rest keeping stable –, entertaining himself with some things he finds on the internet, reading a book he has not finished yet and doing some housework. Dinner is spent in front of the TV, finding a couple more reports about his work, and wondering whether he will be hired again to take her out. Given that she has been described to him as a very stubborn, strong-headed woman, he can bet on her ignoring the 'advice' and requiring to be given the ticket out of this life, so to speak.

When he sees it is quite late, he turns off the TV, washes everything he used for dinner, changes into his sleeping clothes, gets into his bed and turns off the lights.

Never does a conscience-powered bad dream interrupt his sleep.

**A/N**: I hope that you liked this chapter too. I tried in here to put on a very different point of view: the point of view of the man that attempted to kill Kate. Given the fact that the bad guys have a penchant to hire killers in order to get rid of their enemies, it is very likely that they did it again this time: they certainly don't want to dirty their hands taking care of such pesky affairs by themselves. And, also, I find it very likely that the guy that shot at Kate was not trying to kill her at all, they were just telling her - in a very dangerous way - what can happen if she persists in trying to solve her mother's assassination. If they were trying to kill Kate, the guy could have perfectly gone for her head, which most times kills the unfortunate recipient of the shot (no kidding: people have survived things like those, although perhaps, with the kind of ammunition snipers normally use, I'd say it would have been a 100% chance of death for Kate if it were a headshot). This is also a way to demonstrate how... amoral... a hired killer can be - of course, it can run the whole gamut of feelings, from the guy that kills for sport, to the blood knight, to the (rare) person that does it because he knows the victim could have it worse...

Regarding the reviews... I am sad. I had thought chapter 9 would only be a bump on the road, and that the readers (more than 13,000 hits!) would have started to write more reviews to comment on Martha's point of view of the situation. It was a pity to see that it is gone from 12 in chapter 7 to 6 in chapter 9. Here is to hoping that the number will rise again!

And now, messages for certain reviewers!

My muse: I miss you a lot, honey. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but the distance between us still pains me. I will still count down until the day you finally step back here, and we can hug while telling each other how much we have missed each other.

stonegnome1: while there is some attraction between Martha and Jim in here, I wouldn't bet on them hooking up. He is still a bit hung up over Johanna, and Martha... well... she knows it would be very awkward if she had something with Jim.

Trisana Sarrasri: what Martha would do to finally get Kate and Rick together would have been a bit like what our good old M.E. Lanie Parish has already planned to do. And yeah, Martha doesn't get enough screen time. Maybe they could show everyone going to one of her plays in this next season...

bones35: the two of them are already very close in the series - after all, he takes her in after her last husband steals her money, he makes sure she is OK, she acts as a pillar for him... despite the bantering between them both, it is quite obvious they love each other, even if they don't say it. And, sure, it is quite likely that the fact that she never had a stable husband that could act as Rick's father is one of the reasons why he is a bit like that, jumping from bed to bed. It is nice to think that Martha's settling down with Chet could be a bit of a foreshadow for Rick's settling down with Kate. Only that we hope the latter ends better. And Kate not only has already smelled the coffee, she has also tasted it, now she only has to swallow it all :D.

angelrescue02: it is pretty clear that Martha is smarter and wiser than what she looks like at first. She may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but she is somewhat street-smart, and she knows much more than what it seems. And, as for pushing Kate and Rick towards each other... the two of them are already running towards each other :D.


	11. Chapter 11: Kate's Partner

Chapter 11

Kate's Partner

It has been three days since the operation, and she is already itching to get out of the hospital. She has never liked hospitals, and she wants to leave as soon as possible. However, the doctors have told her that she is in for a long recovery, and that they want to keep an eye on her until they are sure everything is OK. They may have taken her out of the ICU, since she is doing well, but they are still keeping an eye on her.

They won't even let her pull out the mask. And that is really irking her.

Because as long as she has her mask on, it means that she won't be able to claim that hair-curling kiss Rick has promised her.

Talking about Rick... she turns her head slowly, and there he is. He is completely asleep. She knows he has slept little in the last two days, and in the end, after several tries to get him out, the nurse relented and allowed a small cot to be placed next to her bed.

She is a bit torn. On the one side, she knows he really needs to get home, rest in his house and stay with his family. On the other side, she likes having him here in the day, and he seems to be the only thing that can calm her down.

The last two nights, she has had nightmares. Horrible nightmares. One of them has him pushing her out of the way just in time, only for the bullet to hit him, and then he dies in her arms, bleeding, before he can tell her that he loves her. Other nightmare has the bullet hit her, only it hits her somewhere else, and this time she dies, but she somehow sees Rick desperately calling her name as her heart stops beating in the dream.

Every time, she has been awakened from the nightmares by Rick. He says that, when she has a nightmare, her heartbeat rises really fast and it is as if she struggling against some nonexistent ropes tying her to the bed. Once, she even cried out something that was garbled by the mask, which she supposed was Rick's name, given that it was the one where he died.

Every time, after she has been awakened, he has done his best to calm her down, caressing her hair, whispering in her ear and hugging her. He never pushes her to talk about the nightmares, knowing that she feels best if she talks about it when she is ready. He only does his best to ward off the nightmares.

And every time, right before falling asleep again, she notices the bags under his eyes. She always tries to tell him to sleep more, but it is obvious that, like so many other times, he pays no attention to her advice/orders. She suspects that he even watches her while she sleeps, in that creepy-slash-adorable way of his.

That is why she is now glad he is sleeping, even if it is in that uncomfortable looking cot. He really, really needs it.

And no, what she is doing now is _not_ admiring his face and body from her bed. Oh, okay, she is totally doing it. But, mostly, she is just looking at him with concern.

Even as she worries over his state of being, she cannot help but wonder how Richard Castle is under that shirt. The little she knows about that comes from the few times they have hugged, and even under those clothes she has noticed he has a good set of muscles, muscles that she really wants to touch bare.

It is then, as she thinks about how well developed Richard Castle is under his clothes, that the man himself opens his eyes, and she loses herself in the sea of his eyes. She wonders how is it possible for a pair of eyes to be so blue. And she notices that the spark that has been absent from his eyes is slowly making its way back, which is one of the parts of Richard that she loves the most of him.

"Hey, Rick," she says through the mask.

"Hey, yourself," he replies, standing up from the cot and coming to her. "Did you sleep well, Kate?"

"Could have been better, but yeah," she says. "What about you?"

"Cot and I had a bit of a problem first, but soon we managed to reach an agreement and she let me sleep."

She snorts softly at the choice of words and uses her left hand to grab his. She is recovering her strength, and now she can do more things than when she first woke up. It is still hard, but she can do it.

"Don't know why you won't go home. That cot looks as horrible as I'm sure it feels."

"I'd brave the highest mountains and the hottest deserts if it meant I could be with you, Kate."

"Don't turn on the mush, please."

"Sorry," he whispers. He kisses her forehead, and she feels the tingling on her skin from the kiss. "But it is true. I prefer to stay here with you unless there is no other choice. I want to make sure you don't have anything to complain about, beyond your wanting to get out of the hospital."

"You know me too well," she says, and right then the doctor enters the room.

"Ms Beckett, I see you are awake. And you too, Mr Castle."

"Good morning, Doctor," Rick says. She nods.

"Well, this is a good moment. I am going to check how your lungs are, and I will need your help, Mr Castle. I could probably ask an orderly, but I am sure you would prefer him to do this."

She can't help it. Her face is now sporting a faint blush, as her imagination starts to conjure images of things that Rick could actually be doing right now, things that are surely _not_ what the doctor suggests.

"That's a good signal, you are recovering quite well right now," the doctor says, noticing her blush, which only deepens it. "OK, Mr Castle. She has to be sitting down for this test, so I want you to aid her. Ms Beckett, you can try to sit on your own, but do not strain yourself, and let Mr Castle help you up, alright?"

She nods, and she moves her arms so that her shoulders start to rise. Leaning on her elbows, she makes the effort to go backwards, to use the headboard as an extra support to aid her. Rick is next to her, allowing her to do this on her own, but always ready to help if she needs it. She is grateful that he doesn't treat her as if she were made of porcelain.

After two minutes or so of struggling, she finally manages to sit and scoot away from the headboard. Rick slowly sits next to her and puts her arm around his shoulders, so that she can lean on him if she needs it.

"Very well, Ms Beckett." The doctor puts on his stethoscope. "Now, I want you to breathe in, slowly, as deep as you can. If it pains you, stop breathing in." When the stethoscope's head is put on her back, she shivers: it is VERY cold. She starts to breath in, and she is amazed when she realizes she is taking in a lot of air before it starts to twinge. "Now, breath out, slowly." She slowly blows the air out of her lungs. "In, again." She breathes in. "Out, again." She blows again. "Very good. Your lung is healing quite well. In fact, I think that you can finally quit the mask."

"Seriously?" she asks.

"Yes. If you allow me..." The doctor cuts off the gas and then takes the mask and slowly pulls at it, at the same time he pulls from the rubber band that keeps the mask on its place. "There. You can breathe normal air now. However, if you have any breathing problems, you are back into that mask, understood?"

For some reason, she feels as if the doctor is a sort of Minerva McGonagall, nice to you if you behave, but a nightmare if you step out of the line. She nods, and the doctor goes out of the room.

"Anybody ever told you how beautiful you are?" Rick says out of the blue.

"Mmm. Yes," she replies.

"Darn. Well, it doesn't matter. You are beautiful, Kate. There are attractive woman out there, but you are much more than that. You have the perfect combination. You are intelligent, compassionate, feisty, hot as hell, and many more great things."

"Thank you," she whispers, hoping that she isn't blushing. She then remembers and looks at him with a soft smile. "There is something you owe me."

"I do?"

"Yes. Something about hair curling, or so I think."

"Sure," he replies, smiling. "You know, when I thought how our first kiss would be, I never imagined it would have to be so that we didn't get caught by that guy you then knocked out."

"How did you imagine it, then, Mr Castle?"

"I would have taken you out to a date," he whispers. "Night-time picnic at Central Park, if the weather permits. No candles, of course, wouldn't want to burn the park down, just a lamp. Wear would be casual. You would probably put on a t-shirt with a jacket over it and jeans, I would put on a short sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers. After eating, we would turn off the lamp and lay down on the grass. I would get you to put your head over my chest or my arm. We would see the stars for some time, and then we would leave. I would escort you home, and when we reached your apartment, you would put your arms around my neck, I would put your hair behind your ears, and then I would cup your face and kiss you softly, in a way that would leave your knees buckling, so that you had to lean on me to be able to stand. And then, depending on the mood, you would invite me home or not. And whatever happened, I would be happy, because as long as I had that date, it would be a wonderful night."

"Nice," she replies. "That is something we will have to do when I recover well enough."

"We have a date, then. But now, I think I promised you a hair-curling kiss, didn't I?"

"You did."

Rick moves a bit, so that he can face her, and looks directly into her eyes. God, those blue eyes... they are sparkling like there is no tomorrow. She is happy for that. Because that means she is getting the old Rick back.

As his face nears hers, she suddenly needs to start breathing through her mouth, and her eyes drop for a second to his lips, before going back to his eyes. She's mesmerized by them, and when she feels he is really near she closes them.

The contact between their lips is... amazing. There are no fireworks, no explosions, no world rocking. But it is as if her whole body is wholly harmonized with his. She feels like the temperature around her is climbing. Like the rest of the world disappears. She pays no attention to the fact that just three days ago she was shot and nearly killed. She doesn't care that she is in a hospital, where a doctor or nurse could enter at any moment.

She remembers the kiss he gave her when they were looking for Ryan and Esposito. That one had been passionate, full of fury. After he broke it, her emotions had taken a hold of her and pushed her to kissing him again. It was only her reasserting control that allowed her to realize the guy that had been watching was distracted and cut off the kiss.

This kiss is different and the same. Right now, the only thing she can do is to lose herself in this kiss, feel how his tongue slowly caresses her lips, opening her mouth to taste him. It is passionate and full of fury. But it is also sweet, and soft, and hungry, and so... goddamned... _right_. It was perfect. As if their lips fit together. As if they belong together.

She brings her free hand to his neck, so that she can deepen the kiss, so that her tongue can do what she has dreamed many times, to battle with his tongue in a desperate attempt to finally get what she has wanted and denied for so much time: kissing Richard Castle.

In the end, her need for oxygen is too much, and she has to stop the kiss in order to keep breathing. She opens her eyes. She sees his smile, and she notices the corners of her mouth are twitching up, especially as he caresses her cheek.

"This is so much better than what I imagined. Kissing the woman I love, finally being able to hold her in my arms... it is like a dream becoming real."

Her heart skips a beat after she hears what Rick has said. He has said a couple of times that he loves her, and this is just a confirmation. But the sincerity with which he has said it makes it even more real than before, and she is really happy. So much that she could just burst.

"Thank you, Rick," she whispers in his ear, snuggling with him. "I love you, too:"

She feels him smiling, and both of them stay there, content in the fact that they were with the person they loved so deeply. Their one and done.

**A/N**: Once more, I hope that you liked this chapter. This is the third chapter with Kate's point of view, and I have decided to skip a couple of days. Kate is on the road to recovery and she finally gets what Rick has promised her. It is also a way to start exploring the physical component of their relationship, given that they have already put their feelings on the table. I know that her behavior seems out of character for her, but I guess that, maybe, her being shot and finally managing to put her heart in order would certainly affect her a bit, allowing her the chance to finally open up. Also, Rick now takes things a bit more seriously. He is still the slightly immature man of the series, but he knows how near he has been to losing one of the things he treasures the most, so he will start to act a bit more mature. He is still a funny guy, but he will mature.

Regarding the reviews... things seem better, given that I got 7 reviews for chapter 10. Hopefully, this trend will continue, and I'll be getting more in the next chapters!

And now, messages for certain reviewers!

My muse: to you, my beautiful lady of the night, I tell you that you are very much missed in here. The kiss between Kate and Rick is very much like the ones we share. I very much hope that you will be back here soon, so that my welcome kiss to you may be as great as the kiss Rick gives to Kate.

Trisana Sarrasri: that's the problem with these kind of people. They have no regard for other people's lives. Their work makes them dispassionate when it comes to actually caring about someone else. It is going to take some work and time until the killer is finally caught, but he will be caught.

bones35: remember when I said Kate still had to drink her coffee? Well, now she has done it :D. There is a chance that Castle's tackling Beckett may have done the difference in the series, but we can't be sure of it until we finally see the series' next season.

angelrescue02: that pun was really bad. Even if unintended. I thought it would be an original idea, to show the situation from the point of view of the killer. The reasons why I pictured him like this, was because I can't understand how someone can be so willing to kill just for money. This was just my attempt to show what could go through their minds, and, well, I hope it was successful.

NessAliceLautner: I am glad you decided to express your opinion. Only problem I have is that you didn't like chapter 5. Was it just for the three Harry Potter jokes I made?


	12. Chapter 12: Kevin's News

Chapter 12

Kevin's News

As he nears her room, he knows the news he brings are not going to be of her liking.

It's been seven days since Montgomery was killed. Five since Beckett was shot. And it has been this morning when the higher-ups have finally chosen who is going to be the new Captain of the 12th Precinct of the New York Police Department.

He has only met Victoria Gates this morning, but he already knows she is going to be trouble for the tight knit group of detectives. The rumors surrounding her are not exactly the best presentation card. Her nickname, 'Iron Gates', pretty much describes her attitude. Cold as iron, unapproachable as a pair of closed iron gates... she's very different when compared to Montgomery. Why, why did the bosses have to put HER as their captain?

When he steps next to her door, he breathes in to calm down and knocks twice.

"Come in," Castle says. He opens the door, and sees Beckett, her father, Castle and Little Castle engrossed in a card game, apparently poker from what he can see.

"Hey, Ryan," Beckett says, putting her hand down. Everybody else does the same, but he can see that Castle is taking the chance to look at Beckett's cards. She smacks his hand.

"Stop right there, Castle, or I'll make sure you don't have any hands to use in the future," Beckett says. Castle pouts, and Little Castle laughs at his face.

"Hey, Detective," the girl says.

"Hey, everyone," he replies.

"How's things going on at the precinct? Do you guys miss us?" Castle asks.

"Yeah, a bit. We are missing a lot of entertainment given that you are not there to banter and all of that. But we are getting on with the cases."

"That's good. Do you have anything on the guy that shot me?"

"We haven't been allowed to work on that," he says, reluctantly. "The Commissioner says all of us in the 12th are too involved in that case to take care of it."

"What?" Beckett asks, angry.

"Sorry, Beckett. Esposito and I argued that you would certainly work on that, and that you were _not_ going to like it, but the Commissioner didn't accept it and told us that we were to stop thinking about it. Also, there is more."

"More than this?"

"We've been assigned a new Captain. And you are not going to like it."

"Who is it, Ryan?"

"Gates."

Beckett groans. "Are you actually telling me that Victoria 'Iron Gates' is our new captain?"

"Afraid so, Beckett."

"Who's Gates?" Castle asks.

"She was the Captain at the 14th Precinct's Murder division. She is a competent policewoman, and very good investigator," Beckett replies.

"But?"

"But she is too involved in the politics game. She has bowed out of certain cases several times due to political pressure, and she is not afraid of telling others she wants to be the Commissioner," he says.

"And that wouldn't exactly work well for us, given the cases that sometimes get landed on us. What do you think would have happened if she had been the captain when we discovered the DA was trying to cover up the case of the poisoned juror?"

"Yup. I guess she would have possibly forced us to close the case. Can't even imagine what could have happened with the Wellesley family," Castle says.

"And there is other thing," Beckett replies. "How do you think she's going to take our partnership?"

"Gates' been asking already questions about the two of you, she didn't sound happy to hear about what you two have been up to during these three years. To be honest, I think she doesn't like Castle being part of the team."

"Well, the way I see it, either she doesn't like the fact that a civilian works there due to the potential PR nightmare that would result from anything happening to me while working, or she doesn't like that a civilian works there in constant basis because it could be seen as some kind of incompetence from the part of the policemen and women that work at the precinct, which is not, of course," Castle says. "However, on the other side, my presence there could also be good PR due to my fame, we have a very high rate of solved crimes and the Mayor is a friend of mine, so maybe that could balance everything."

"I hope so. I don't really want you to have to leave the team, Castle," Beckett says, taking Castle's hand.

"Neither do I, Beckett," Castle replies.

"Sure. Beckett, I am not sure when it is going to happen, but I've heard that Gates is going to want to talk with you about Castle and you."

"Let her come, I have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of," Beckett says. Castle smiles at her.

"That's cool, Beckett. Castle, would you mind coming out for a minute? I want to talk with you alone," he says. The writer puts on his 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' face before standing and giving Beckett a kiss. The two men come out of the room and close the door behind them.

"Don't tell me, this is going to be the 'hurt-Beckett-and-we-will-kill-you' talk, isn't it?" Castle asks.

"Something like that," he replies with a smile. "Though, I do need to remind you that we have Lanie on our side, and not only we would kill you, but we would also be able to pass it as natural death. Not only that, but I think that Beckett is more than able of doing the killing part."

"I guessed that."

"Look, Castle. Beckett is not only our boss, she is our friend, and we care a lot for her. You have been the best thing that has happened to her. She hardly smiled before you started working with us. Now, she is happier than ever. So, I am asking you, in my name, Esposito's and Lanie's, that you do not break her heart, because I doubt she will be able to take it and remain as she is."

"Don't worry, Ryan, I am not going to let her go. She has become too important for me to do that, you know?"

"That's good enough for us, Castle," he says. Castle opens the door and enters the room again, so that he can sit down next to Beckett.

"Hey, these cards are not where I put them. Who decided to have a look?" he asks, looking at the three people that have their cards in front of them. When he notices Beckett is trying to keep from smiling, he stands up and grabs her, making her laugh. "So it was you! Hypocrite!"

Laughing his ass off, he leaves the room, in higher spirits than when he came in.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Once more, I hope that you liked this chapter. Here I have added a couple of details brought from what is already known about Season 4, namely the appointment of Victoria "Iron Gates" as the new Captain. This chapter is played out from Ryan's point of view, and he sees a nearly recovered Kate, ready to leave as soon as she is allowed, but enjoying the time she spends in there.

Regarding the reviews... are much better now! I've got 11 different reviews (for some reason, Tonya95's repeats twice), and I can't complain! Now, I just want to see it go higher! :)

And now, messages for certain reviewers!

My muse: the days keep passing, and every day that passes is one less until you come back, until I can finally have you between my arms and kiss your lips. Until we can spend the night together, watching a film after having dinner together and having great fun altogether. I miss you, baby.

bones35: indeed, I've had some experience in this kind of things, but mostly the reason these scenes are like this is because my imagination is always playing overtime with many ideas.

Tonya95: I am very much like you, I love getting reviews, so I also write reviews for stories I like. There will be more fluffy chapters, so do not worry :).

JustifiedByGod: I am glad you liked the chapter (sorry for the blasphemy, but it was the only word I thought of that could be applied to the description). There will be marriage in the future, but not soon. The two of them still have to get used to being a couple.

Trisana Sarrasri: thank you. Yes, things are improving, but when they come out of the hospital it won't be completely rosy. I don't know how long it will be, but I hope that, at least, I will be able to get them to finally solve Johanna Beckett's murder.

stonegnome1: as you have seen, Kate's shooting's investigation is being handled by someone else. Kate is going to be asking the ones in charge of it about any details that may be spared for her to know, but all in all she won't be allowed to work in it. Given that only Beckett, Castle, Esposito, Lanie and Ryan know why Montgomery was actually killed, it would not be tied to his death. Might put a chapter about that in a later chapter.

angelrescue02: I hope that this chapter was good in showing how everyone is taking things so far.

timber: methinks you have misunderstood the difference between Flaming and Constructive Criticism. I welcome people to make criticism of my work, if it consists of pointing out mistakes or suggesting ways to improve the story. What I cannot abide to is reviews that are only written in the mood of rudely saying how they don't like the story or something like that without saying what they don't like about it. The former is Constructive Criticism, which I like. The latter is Flaming, which I don't like. Hopefully, this will clear out your doubts over whether I actually accept criticism or not, and will say so in a review for this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13: Alexis' Chat

Chapter 13

Alexis' Chat

"Thank you for letting me stay here, Castle," Detective Beckett says, as Dad opens the door and lets both of them enter, before doing the same himself.

Detective Beckett has just been released from the hospital, and the doctors said she should be with someone in order to keep an eye on her injuries and make sure she doesn't do anything too strenuous. Lanie and her Dad have jobs, so they couldn't be always there, so Dad offered her to stay with them at home. After leaving the hospital, they had gone to the Detective's apartment, in order to get some clothes for her to use. Lanie was there, too, and helped choose a few extra things that she knows she will have to go on a sleepover with Paige or to a date with Ashley in order for the Detective to wear them.

"It is always a pleasure, Beckett," Dad replies. "Besides, I love having you here at the loft. You still need to recover, and you shouldn't be alone, so it's win-win for us."

"And for me, too," she says.

"Of course, Lex, that is undisputed," the older woman says, grinning.

"Okay, let's get you settled in your room first, before I drop the suitcases here. Then you two girls can put the clothes wherever you want them while I prepare something for lunch, is that alright?" Dad says, carrying the cases with the Detective's clothes towards the stairs. She runs in front of Dad, jumping two steps at a time, in order to open the door to the guest room. A few seconds later, she sees a suitcase making its way in.

"Thanks, Pumpkin." Dad is struggling to enter the room, given that he has one case in each hand, so she just grabs one and puts it on the floor, near the wardrobes. Dad finally enters and puts the second one over the bed, so that they won't have to kneel to open it and bring things out. "Very well, ladies, you are now settled down. I hope to see you downstairs in less than fifteen minutes, which is what I expect will take me to cook up lunch."

"OK, Dad," she says, opening the suitcase on the floor.

"That would be nice, Castle," Detective Beckett says. Dad hugs her and gives her a quick kiss, after which he leaves the room and goes downstairs. The Detective smiles, and opens the suitcase on the bed, from where she pulls out one of the dresses Lanie suggested she take.

"That's a nice dress," she comments.

"Thank you. This was a dress I bought last year, but never had the chance to use."

"Do you hope to use it on Dad? Just let me tell you, I think he won't care about what you wear, he still loves you."

The older woman blushes slightly at the comment, and she knows why. It must be a bit uncomfortable for her to hear the daughter of the man she likes make those kind of comments.

"Lex? Can I ask you something?" the Detective asks.

"Sure, Detective," she replies, while putting a couple of shirts in one of the drawers.

"First thing, stop calling me Detective. Just call me Kate, it is far shorter, and it sounds less awkward. Especially given that we are friends, aren't we?"

"Sure, Kate. Though, I might slip from time to time, I am not used to call someone much older than me by his or her given name."

"That's good enough, Lex," Kate says, laughing, hanging a dress. "Thing is, do you feel... awkward with the fact that I want to go out with your father? I mean... I am sure it must feel weird for you that I am here and love your dad."

She smiles a bit. The fact that Kate is asking her opinion in this means a lot to her. Kate is probably the best role model she could ever had, and she feels great around her.

"I'll admit it, it is a bit weird for me to see Dad with someone else. You know, I am seventeen, I am used to Dad not being with other women, at least not so openly. The only woman I've seen with him in a serious way was Gina, and even that was quite strained. But, I have known you for three years now, and it is pretty obvious that, even if Dad and you have your differences and your arguments, you are really good for each other. So, well, as long as you don't go at it in front of me, I am happy for you two."

"Thank you, Lex," Kate replies, and the two of them hug. "Let's get my things in there before your father calls us saying lunch is ready, OK? I don't want to keep him waiting, at least not today."

"Sure, Kate," she laughs. The two of them continue putting Kate's clothes in the wardrobe, and hanging some dresses and trousers, and soon they finish.

"Ladies!" a voice sounds when they finally manage to put the suitcases away. "Lunch is ready! Come down if you want to eat it hot!"

"Shall we?" she asks.

"We shall," Kate replies, and the two of them go to the bathroom to wash their hands, and then go downstairs, to see Dad finishing the last touches on the table.

"Oh, my God, Dad, you prepared your burger-and-fries!" she says, jumping and hugging Dad.

"Hey, of course, we have to celebrate that Kate is out of the hospital, your grandmother is not here, and we want to have something light, so this was the best thing to have!"

"What's so great about these burgers?" Kate asked, obviously perplexed. Both her and Dad look at her, incredulous.

"My dear Kate," Dad says, "when you taste these hamburgers and these chips, you will decide that even Remy's are bad when compared to ours. These are made with an excellent secret Castle recipe that was created ten years ago almost purely by accident, and have been since then a star dish for the light celebrations."

"I will believe that when I see it."

"Ah! Of course. Please, be seated, you two, while I bring the delicacies to the table. What do you want to drink, ladies?"

"A soda, please," she says.

"Same for me, please."

"Two sodas incoming." Dad opens the fridge and takes three soda cans, and on the way to the table takes one of the dishes. She takes the rest of the dishes there, leaving Kate with only the glasses to handle. The three of them put everything easily on the table, and they soon sit down.

Neither her nor Dad eat anything, waiting for Kate and her reaction to the hamburger. She notices this, but shrugs down and bites down on it. Her face becomes soon one of ecstasy when her taste buds finally detect the taste that invades her mouth right after it. A few seconds later, she swallows it and gives a moan of satisfaction.

"Damn, Rick, this is wonderful. How do you make it?"

"Ah, my dear, that is a secret of the Castle family, and since you aren't formally part of it, I fear you can't know it."

Kate glares at him, in that classical 'I-am-going-to-hit-you-if-you-do-not-obey' that she has already seen several times lately.

"Castle, do I need to remind you that I carry a gun?" Kate asks.

"And I am infinitely grateful that you don't have it here right now," Dad answers.

"Then, I may have to start sleeping with you, just so that I can kick you into the couch for not telling me."

As soon as she hears those words, she closes her eyes, trying to expel those images from her mind. She loves her Dad, and she really likes Kate, but she doesn't want to think about them doing _that_.

"Ow, guys, that's TMI," she protests. Kate and Dad laugh at that, and they keep eating and enjoying this moment they have together.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: I really hope that you enjoy this chapter. As you can see, Kate is finally out of the hospital, and she is getting installed with the Castles as a temporary measure, in order to make sure that she is OK. The joke about Castle making the burgers is a bit overdone, but I'd say that Castle is very likely to have found something interesting by accident. Although, I missed the chance to put a _Soylent Green_ joke.

Regarding the reviews... I feel good, with 9 reviews. I am sure it could have been bigger, but it is still a great number for a small story as mine. Keep it up!

And now, messages for the reviewers!

My muse: it is yet shorter the time until you finally come back, beautiful. Less than a month until we can finally be together once more. I love you, baby.

Chkgun93: what folders are you talking about?

bones35: indeed.

caskettismagic14: the reason they don't like Gates is because of her tendency to put her political aspirations over the investigation, which is something Montgomery never did. Gates will have to talk with Kate first, but in the end she will have no other choice than to allow Castle in the team.

Jayce Gish: nice going with the Spanish. You just missed the ñ and one accent, and the first half of the Spanish part didn't make much sense, but it was good and I understood it perfectly :). I'm greatly heartened by the fact that you read all the chapters in one sitting. Your comments are quite interesting, and carry some good points. However, there is not going to be any relationship between Jim and Martha, which I have already said a couple of times before. I also hope that this chapter fulfilled your wants.

baterista9: it is nice to see you guys making the effort to write to me in Spanish. You still need to practice it a bit, there are a couple of mistakes in there. I hope that the rest of the fic is up to your taste.

Trisana Sarrasri: Ryan is, unfortunately, not portrayed as much as he deserves, which is why I wanted to give him the limelight for a chapter (of course, I will be writing a chapter for Esposito soon). I am glad that you could imagine it as if you watched it in a TV, it means that it was close enough to the series. I have an idea of how Victoria Gates is going to be here, based on the few things that have been said already about her, but she will probably turn out to be different from the TV series' one.

RoriPotter, agah14 and ZiLive: thank you very much!


	14. Chapter 14: Rick's Rules

Chapter 14

Rick's Rules

It is night now. He is enjoying the closure of the two women he loves the most as they watch a film on the TV. Kate has been given the chance to choose the film for the day, and she has taken a Monty Python movie, saying she really needed something light and funny tonight. He looks at her, and knows it is working, for she has a large smile, illuminated only by the television's light – the curtains have been drawn to ensure maximum cinema-like experience – as she leans on him, into his embrace.

At his other side, his daughter is happily munching on the last popcorn on her bowl, as the knights start their assault on the French-held castle, with their swords at the hand and their siege equipment ready to assault the walls where the Holy Grail is. And when, suddenly, the policemen arrive and arrest most everyone for the death of the historian, the three of them laugh out loud due to the silliness of all.

Alexis turns off the TV and the DVD player and stands up. "I need my sleep, I am meeting Ash early tomorrow for a date. Good night, to you two."

"Good night, Lex," Kate says.

"Good night, Pumpkin," he says. Alexis leans to kiss both of them on the cheek and goes upstairs, towards her room.

"You are really lucky, Rick, for having such a wonderful daughter."

"Don't I know it. The worst is knowing that, soon, she will leave for Stanford and I won't be able to see her everyday."

"Well, she does have to make her way into the world at some moment in her life. But that doesn't mean she is going to stop seeing you, Rick. She still loves you too much for her to do that."

"My head knows that, but my heart still fears," he replies, bringing Kate further into his embrace. She raises her head to give him a soft kiss, and he covers one side of her head with one of his hands while he deepens the kiss. When they break the kiss, she cuddles with him, and they look each other at the eyes.

"I love you," Kate says. He smiles.

"I love you, too." He brushes his lips on her, and right at that moment the door to the loft opens. The two of them turn around and see it is his mother.

"Mother, it is late," he comments. "Where were you?"

"Richard," she says, and he is surprised, she seems to be a bit on edge right now. "This is very important, I found it this morning among the mail received by my academy, I think it arrived there nearly a week ago. It came in this envelope." She shows them a large yellow envelope, and on the cover the address to the acting school. The handwriting on it is easily recognizable.

"Martha... this is Roy's handwriting," Kate says, whispering, almost not believing what she is seeing.

"It had these inside." His mother puts her hand into a bag she has hanging on the side and pulls out a folder and three letters, one clearly shorter than the others. "Montgomery told me to use a plastic bag to hide all of these inside, he feared that there was a chance someone could spot it. Anyway, these two are for you."

He takes one of the letters, but when he sees Kate's name on the top, he gives it to her and takes the second letter.

_Dear Castle,_

_By the time you are reading these lines, I will have probably died at the hands of Lockwood and his partners. I really wish that it hasn't happened like that, because knowing that my family will be left to mourn my death is something I have never wanted to even imagine, especially the fact that I won't be there to see my daughters grow, graduate from university, get a job and married and have children, but I must be realistic. The only thing that helps me keep on is that I know they will be well taken care of for all their lives._

_If, in the end, I died, I hope that my plan protected Beckett from being shot at. Seeing her every day, knowing that it was, at least partially, my fault that she lost her mother when she was younger, has always been a great weight over me. At least I know I did my best to protect her from those that wanted to silence her, and that she has turned in one of the best detectives in the Police Department. I would like it if Kate left the investigation around her mother's death, because it would mean she would be safe, but I know she is also one of the most stubborn, strong-headed people in the world, and she will not stop until she finally finds them._

_That's what the folders in the envelope are for. They have as much information as I could put in them about everything that is related to the people that ordered the hit. Unfortunately, I know that she is going to need many, many more proofs than the ones in the folder, for these people have surrounded themselves with walls strong enough that only an air-tight case against them will be able to put them in prison where they deserve to be. I know you can trust Ryan and Esposito with this, but she will need help from someone higher if you want to succeed, perhaps she can get some help from our friends in the FBI. _

_I am about to call you to help me get her out of the hangar when I attract Lockwood to my trap. I am sure that, even after your fight, you will come for her. Because I know that you would do anything for her. I don't know when exactly you started to like Beckett, but even now it is quite obvious that you feel something strong for that woman. And it is equally obvious that she feels something just as big for you. I need to ask you for something else. A man's last will, if you will. _

_I want you to save Beckett._

_Not only from the men and women that want to kill her. I want you to save her from herself. So that she doesn't throw her life down the drain, leaving everybody and everything around her to concentrate only on her work. I need you to keep doing what you have done in the last three years. Make her smile. Show her the good side of life. Make her happy. And, for heaven's sake, tell her what you feel for her, before it is too late!_

_You are one of the best people I have ever met, Richard Castle. See that you keep being as good as you have always been._

_Yours faithfully,_

_Roy Montgomery_

He looks away from the letter, and he notices that Kate is still looking at hers, tears silently falling from her eyes as she read what Montgomery has written to her, as a last word to the woman who had been like a daughter for him. He puts his letter carefully on the table and takes her into his arms, hugging her. She lets her letter fall and puts her head over his shoulder, where she silently cries over being reminded of what had happened at the hangar... the moment she lost the man who had been her mentor and boss for more than six years.

Both of them stay there, hugging and trying to calm down, remembering the man both of them respected so much, for several minutes, until they finally recover enough from the shock of what they have just received. They look themselves at the eyes and they notice that they have the same look of pain and sadness.

"I am so sorry, Kate," he whispers, lovingly caressing her cheek.

"It's not your fault, Rick. The guilt here lays with the bastards that killed Roy."

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, he snorts. "You are really your father's daughter."

"Why?"

He explains her the small talk her father had with him while she was unconscious. Kate smiles at the thought of her dad telling Rick about their life together, and of her mother. After the dream she had of her, the pain of her memories is lessening, and it becomes easier to think of her. Then, she takes the folder that Martha – who has made her scarce while they read the letters – has brought.

"Do you know what this means, Rick? That we have all this information?"

"I do have an idea, but illustrate me, my dear Detective."

"It means that we have more potential leads. It means that we can find more ways to catch those people. It means that we can finally start lining these bastards and throw the ball for the strike to send them all to prison," Kate replies, pointing at the folder and hitting it with her index finger.

"Just what I thought. However, I do believe that, right now, it is not the time to do anything. It is late in the night, and both of us need to sleep. After that, we have a good week in front of us, which I hope you will use to its maximum potential before you are allowed to go back to the precinct. And no, I don't mean that you are going to be looking at this folder twenty-four-seven. You are going to enjoy your time with us, take your time with things, and when you are looking at this I'll be there with you."

She glares at him. She doesn't know – or prefers to ignore – that her glares are not effective against him, that the most they do is to excite him. Of course, he sometimes acts as if it affects him, but it's only because he doesn't want to let his actual reaction known.

"None of that look, young woman," he says. "As long as you live under my roof, you will be following my rules. And if those rules say less work and more fun, you will have less work and more fun."

"Do not treat me as if I were a child, Castle."

"Oh, I know you are not a child, Beckett. In fact, I am thinking of many things I'd love to do to you that would be certainly not advisable were you a child, because they would be completely illegal and immoral."

He notices that the expression in her eyes is changing, from anger to something that seems to be similar to... lust?

"Oh, tell me, _Ricky_," Kate says, her hand over his chest, her index and middle fingers walking over it and producing goosebumps on his skin, "what exactly is your little mind thinking... to do... to... me?"

His eyebrows raise, and his smile stretches. She is certainly playing the game well. However, two can play that game, and he knows how to do that.

"Why, Katherine, I thought you would never ask," he replies, and then puts his mouth next to her ear, while his hand dances on her back. "Because the number of things I could do to you would leave you completely weak and unable to do anything but to say my name again... and again... _and again_..."

"Sounds great," she replies with a smile. "Should we go to sleep now?"

"Sure. Do you want me to carry you to your room, or do you want to do it on your own?"

She bites her lip. "Actually... do you mind if I stay tonight with you? It's just..."

"Hey, no worries, my dear Detective, you may share my bed whenever you want. And, if you feel uncomfortable with it, I will do my best to prevent my hands from wandering."

"Oh, Rick, your hands may wander however they like to do."

"Ohh, good answer," he says, and he takes her into his arms, never faltering, and towards his room in the loft's lower floor, where they proceed to change clothes and soon fall asleep into each others' embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: That's chapter 14 for all of you, I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. For those that do not know, the film the guys are watching at the start is _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, a great comedy that I whole-heartedly recommend to everyone.

Regarding the reviews... I don't like to see that it is once more decaying, and this time there are only 7 reviews. I am sure you guys can write more reviews. Anyway, keep it up!

And now, messages for the reviewers!

My muse: hardly two weeks until you are finally back home! I miss you a lot, and even though Skype has helped with that, it is still too little when compared with the possibility of actually having you within my embrace.

Chkgun93: oh, _those_ folders. Well, now you can see where the folders are. The reason why they were sent to Martha is because Montgomery knew that _they_ (the guys that got him killed and ordered the killer in chapter 10 to leave Kate badly hurt) would probably be watching Castle's and Beckett's mail for such a thing, but probably would not watch Martha's mail.

baterista9: el acento en práctica está al revés. En cuanto a la posible confusión en el uso de Dad para referirse a Castle y a Jim Beckett, depende mucho de qué está acompañado: "her Dad" se refiere a Jim, y "Dad" a solas se refiere a Castle (ten en cuenta que el punto de vista es el de Alexis).

JustifiedbyGod: well, I try to update as regularly as possible. Unfortunately, I haven't been doing the same with the other fanfics I'm writing currently (**Prodigy: Born Again** and **Harry Potter and the Unexpected Visitor**), but that's mostly because I feel blocked.

Rori Potter: thank you!

glo1196: to be honest, I don't like angst in my stories, they make feel cranky. There is some tragedy, sure, but nothing like what others who seem to enjoy putting characters in miserable situations like to do.

Trisana Sarrasri: that's a signal of how well Beckett fits within the Castle family, like the way it happens in **Of Finding Innocence** by FanficwriterGHC (wonderful story, recommended).

caskettismagic14: hope that you liked this chapter, too. It might have too many sudden changes of mood for Beckett and Castle, but I think they were well explained.

RoriPotter, agah14 and ZiLive: thank you very much!


	15. Chapter 15: Kate's Defense

Chapter 15

Kate's Defense

It has passed a week since she was freed from the hospital when Kate finally steps back into the 12th Precinct and takes the lift to the Murder division. It has been a strange week, to say the least. Given her injuries, she has been forbidden from going back to work, so anything she could do had to stay within home – it is strange how easy and fast she has stopped thinking of Rick's loft as just that and instead thinks of it as home.

At least, it has been well spent time. She has had enough time to check the whole folder Montgomery sent her, and although she hasn't been able to actually investigate the relations between the documents and the people mentioned in there, she knows that they are a good first step towards catching them.

And, if it weren't for Rick, she would have gone mad for sure. True to his promise, Ricky has not allowed her to work on the folder the whole time. Instead, he has forced her to eat well at the right times, he has made sure to distract her with anything and everything he has at home, he has left her alone when she needed to think. He has taken her out for a walk a couple of times, to let her breathe fresh air and do some exercise. He has even sneaked out a copy of _Heat Rises_, just for her eyes, which she has started to devour with great passion.

Her ruminations over the last week are finished when the lift finally reaches the right floor, and the doors open. She is a bit nervous, but still she knows it is time to get back to work. She steps inside and walks towards her table, basking in the familiarity of her workplace's layout.

"Hey, it's Beckett!" someone says. She is soon awfully cognizant of the fact that she is attracting a lot of attention right now, and the similarity of this situation to that of the first Nikki Heat book's presentation, but here at least she knows everybody and there are no photographers. Unfortunately, there is no Castle in here.

She can see Velazquez to her side. The officer starts clapping, and soon everybody else is doing the same, welcoming their injured partner, as she is finally once more back with them. Her cheeks flush because of the attention, but at the same time she can't stop smiling at her co-workers for the wonderful welcome they are giving her.

One by one, the officers and other detectives approach her and shake her hand, which she does happily. The only ones that do not do that are Ryan and Esposito, who wait until she is clear to approach her and give her a hug, like siblings do.

"Welcome back, Beckett," Esposito says after letting her go. "Where is Castle? I thought he would have come with you."

"Thank you, guys," she replies, still smiling. "Both of us thought that it would be better if I came today on my own, to clear any misgivings, and then he could come later today or tomorrow, depending of whether we have a case or not."

"Detective Beckett?" someone else, a new voice, asks. She turns towards the voice and sees it's a middle-aged woman of Afro-American ascendency, much like Montgomery was. She easily recognizes her as Victoria Gates, the Captain and her new boss.

"Yes, it is me. You must be the new Captain."

"Victoria Gates." Gates offers her hand and she shakes it. Even if she didn't know her, she would have realized that this was not a woman to take lightly. "I have heard many things about you, most of them good. How is your injury?"

"Going well, Captain. As well as it can. The doctor says that I have to stay in desk duty for a couple of weeks."

"Good. Would you come with me? There is a matter that we must talk about in private."

"Of course," she replies. She has a feeling she already knows what's the matter Gates wants to talk about. Fortunately, she already knows what to say, in order to ensure that the outcome is favorable to what she wants. She follows the Captain into her office and Gates closes the door after both of them enter. They take their seat and face each other.

"Well, first thing, welcome back to the Precinct. I hope that you are up to start working now."

"That's why I came, Captain, to rejoin my job."

"Good." Gates exhales and looks directly at her. "I hope you realize that this meeting is not only for pleasantries. I wish to discuss certain things related to your job. In first place, I have been told by your partners that Montgomery considered you as his unofficial second on board, and I would like to know if you would be willing to act as such, at least until I manage to establish myself in here."

"I'd be glad to do so," she replies, although on the inside the bells are ringing. Gates doesn't know that the reason why she could be said to be the 'second on board' for Montgomery was because he had been her mentor for several years. And the last part about Gates needing her help until she manages to establish herself does not sound very good to her ears.

"Thank you, Detective. Now, there is a second matter of importance. If I am not mistaken, you have been without an actual partner for several years, so, if you wish me to do so, I can assign you a detective to work with you."

"If I may, Ma'am, I would rather keep the current situation as it is, and I already have a partner."

"I guess that you must be talking about Richard Castle? The writer?" The veneer of distaste she portrays when she says Rick's name and profession, while it is subtle, it is there, and she really, really doesn't like it.

"Yes, I am," she replies, her voice starting to drip with coldness. The fact that Gates seems to dislike Rick – or at least his writing – does not bode well with her and her wish that he remains part of his team.

"I do know that he was a consultant for your team in the precinct, but I do not understand the reason behind his becoming a full partner in your working relationship, given that he is not an actual policeman."

"Captain," she interrupts, consciously trying not to be too cold nor disrespectful towards her boss, "while it is true that Castle is not a policeman, he is useful to us. His... unique view of how criminals behave has been particularly important in several of our investigations, and in fact he has saved my life several times thanks to his skills. And he is doing all of that for free, consciously taking time off writing only to help us and voluntarily risking his life. So, I can assure you that, if you were to ask anyone in my team, including myself, they would wholeheartedly tell you that they consider Castle as part of the team."

"Hmm," she murmurs. "If I am not mistaken, detective, you are currently in a relationship with Mr Castle. Am I right?"

She doesn't ask how she knows: the rumor mill in the precinct is really good, and besides the whole bet that has been going on her and Rick would have surely attracted much attention upon being solved.

"Yes, we are. And I fail to notice what is the problem, for, as much as I know, it is not the business of the Police Department who I am having a relationship with, even if he is my work partner in an unofficial sense."

"Well, my reasoning is that we cannot be assured that the two of you will actually concentrate on the cases you work at instead of your relationship with Mr Castle. Given that, I am not sure of the wisdom of letting him keep following you, never mind working in the 12th Precinct. It is certainly not normal for us to let a consultant follow you everywhere, Detective."

"With all my respects, Captain, while Castle is somewhat immature, I think that both of us are perfectly able to behave professionally while we work together. And besides, as I have said before, his point of view and his thinking outside of the box has allowed us to catch many criminals that would have otherwise gone free. In his first case with us, he was able to spot several details that didn't fit well, and if it hadn't been for his conviction in our first suspect's innocence, we would have never caught the actual killer. Also, it was his ability to read a situation that allowed us to catch Scott Dunn last year as he laid a trap for the FBI agents that were looking for him after he kidnapped Agent Jordan Shaw. There are many things in which he has shown his worth. So, if you ask me, I would keep Castle on the team."

Gates seems to be a bit annoyed at her stalwart defence of HER writer. Because that's what Castle is. Her writer. And Heaven help whomever tries to say otherwise.

"Well, if you feel that way, then you may tell Mr Castle that he is welcome to continue working with us. However, I hope that you keep him on a leash, because I do not want this department to be mired on legal problems if he screws up. Is that understood, Detective?"

"Very clear, Captain," she replies, slightly cool towards this woman. Great, only one day at work and she already misses Montgomery. Working here again is going to be so hard...

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: That's chapter 15 for all of you, with the return of Detective Beckett to work and the entrance of Captain Victoria Gates into the team. It hasn't gone well, as you can see, given that Gates isn't enamored with the idea of having a civilian work with them, but she has no grounds to complain about, and as long as Kate wants Rick there, then she can't do anything.

Regarding the reviews... only 5? Damn, I expected something better from you guys and gals. I hope that next time I see more than 7 reviews. Remember, the more reviews I get the happier I will be!

And now, messages for the reviewers!

My muse: just one week! :) It's only one week until we can finally see each other again and hug and start to recover the lost time. Until then, I hope that this chapter gives you enough of me to hold to until you can hold to the real me. Remember that I love you!

Trisana Sarrasri: he sent them financial and legal documents pertaining what the people behind the killing of Johanna Beckett had been doing. As for Kate's letter, it did have a couple of warnings about the danger the investigation represents for her, how sorry he is for what he has done to her life and how much he hopes that she and Rick will finally stop fighting what is so freakin' obvious to everyone else.

lv2bnsb: your assessment of Martha's character is pretty much spot on. I hope that you will be writing more reviews later!

Chkgun93, Rori Potter, NessAliceLautner, ZiLive: thank you!

Also: Next chapter will be from Esposito's POV!


	16. Chapter 16: Javier's Wishes

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 16

Javier's Wishes

After seeing Beckett enter the Captain's office, he sits down on his desk, finishing all the paperwork he still has waiting from their last case, which they solved the day before. He wonders what Gates and Beckett are going to speak about, but, knowing what Gates has been asking them about in the last few days, he could bet something that it was going to be about her personal life, and that she is not going to enjoy it.

"Switch on," he hears from behind him. He doesn't have to turn to know it is his partner, Kevin Ryan, and he knows what he is talking about, so he opens the web browser and enters the address to the chat room the two of them use to chat on the internet. It made the possibility of speaking with each other at work while working and no one being the wiser.

_K_Ryan: So, what do you think they are talking about?_

_J_Espo: I am sure it has to do with Castle and the relationship between those two. _

_K_Ryan: Yeah, I doubt that Gates will like to have a dating couple working here, especially when one of them is a 'dilettante mystery writer', in her own words._

_J_Espo: And now I am so glad Castle's got the Mayor on his back. _

_K_Ryan: You think Gates would kick Castle out?_

_J_Espo: 100%, bro._

_K_Ryan: Let's hope she doesn't._

_J_Espo: Yeah. Wouldn't want Beckett to get angry._

_K_Ryan: As long as she doesn't take it on us, we're good._

_J_Espo: Who would she take it on, then? Velazquez? Castle? _

_K_Ryan: No idea, but if she gets angry, I am all for boltin' outta here._

_J_Espo: Not if we don't get a body._

_K_Ryan: I'm feeling contradictions within me. On one side, I don't wanna another dead person, but on the other side, it might as well be the only thing that can save our asses when Beckett comes out._

_J_Espo: Yup._

The door opens, and he looks towards there. Beckett comes out of Gates' office and she seems to be really angry as she sits down behind her table.

_J_Espo: YYYYYYup. She is angry. And now we will have to deal with it._

_K_Ryan: Where is Rick Castle when you need him? We need him to crack one of those jokes that make Beckett struggle not to laugh out loud._

_J_Espo: Better yet, where is Rick Castle with our wonderful coffees?_

_K_Ryan: Dude, we have a espresso machine in the break room, go there and get a coffee. And bring me one too while you are there._

_J_Espo: Shuddup._

The door opens again, and this time is Gates who crosses it, but only partially.

"Beckett, before I forget, you are to surrender your gun. After an injury as life-threatening as yours, your ability with it is suspect. You are going to be required to pass a gunnery test before recovering that gun. Is that understood, Detective."

"Yes," Beckett replies, through gritted teeth. More than enough for him to realize how furious she is.

_J_Espo: Damndamndamndamn, RED CODE, RED CODE!_

_K_Ryan: Yes. Thank you, Cap'n. Now KB is PO'd._

_J_Espo: Dammit, just the day Castle decides NOT to come is the day we REALLY need him._

_K_Ryan: Bugger this, I don't wanna die before I get married and have my 2.3 kids._

_J_Espo: Pray for a miracle, bro, or we ain't comin' back home._

"Miss Beckett?" a young man asks, carrying a couple of bags. Beckett turns to him, and he knows that Beckett has found an objective for her anger.

"WHAT?" she shouts, scaring the guy, who gives a jump into the air. He doesn't drop the bags, fortunately.

"W-w-with the co-compliments of Mr C-c-c-Castle," the guy manages to say, leaving the bags over the table. Beckett's expression softens.

"Oh, sorry. I've had a horrible morning so far, it's not your fault," she replies, trying to soothe him. The guy just nods, and runs away before Beckett can say anything else.

_J_Espo: Crysis averted. Thank you very much, Richard Castle._

_K_Ryan: Poor guy, though. That wasn't pretty._

_J_Espo: Yeah, he got full-on KB fury. He's gonna have nightmares.  
><em>

"Guys, if you want coffee, you'd better come here. There are four cups in here, and a bear claw for each of us."

"Coming," he says, jumping out of his chair. He sees that Beckett is holding a piece of paper on her hand and is smiling... and are her cheeks blushing? "Interesting note?" Beckett immediately puts the note into her pocket, while glaring at him. He smiles cheekily.

"Do you want to get sent to deal with the traffic, Esposito?"

"No, Beckett," he replies, but keeps smiling.

"Wipe out that smile from your face."

"Beckett!" he exclaims, annoyed.

The phone rings, and Ryan, who has already taken his coffee cup, rushes to pick it up.

"Ryan." He doesn't talk, and then puts the cup down and takes a pen and a notepad, where he writes something down. "OK, we'll be there soon." He puts down the phone. "We've got a body, Lexington with 36th. Woman was pushed out of a window and landed on the street, may have been shot right before."

"You two go," Beckett said. "I have to _stay_ here, remember? I'll have to work on paperwork until you guys get the body and the proof back."

"Don't worry, Beckett, we will make sure that we look at everything in there. It will be complicated to guess from which floor the woman fell, but I guess that, as soon as we get the identity, we will know it," he says.

"Thank you, guys. I think that, when the body gets here, I'll have a talk with Lanie."

"See you soon, Beckett," Ryan says, as the two of them leave for the lift. "I really, really hope that she finds something to do, or she will go mad."

"Aye," he replies, and when the lift door opens, they enter it, readying themselves for a new investigation.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: That's chapter 16. Those that have been alert this last week will recognize certain things in this chapter from the fourth season's first chapter. It is quite unfortunate that nearly none of my predictions turned out real: instead of one week, Kate was recovering for three months; Castle only visited her once, instead of being there with her; she had not broken yet with Josh before she was shot; she didn't talk with Castle at all in the whole summer; she did as if she didn't remember Castle's declaration, only to turn out that she actually remembers everything that happened when she was shot; the folder Montgomery sent before dying weren't for Castle... damn, if I hadn't started this just a couple of weeks ago, I would have thought that the writers had taken everything from my story and written something completely different.

In regards to said chapter, I have to say that I liked it. It was quite interesting the role reversal between Beckett and Castle when compared to the start of the third season, with Beckett having promised Castle to call but not doing it for three months. And I also think that there are great clues that state that Beckett would really love to be in a relationship with Castle. I really, really hope she catches those b******s soon, so that she finally manages to free herself from that self-imposed load.

Regarding the reviews... 9! Thank you very much, guys! :) I am glad you like this story so much! Let's see if you manage to surpass the 9 reviews for the next chapter!

And now, messages for the reviewers!

My muse: yeah, less than 24 hours! By the time you read this, you will either be getting ready to come back or already back here. I hope that you liked this chapter and that it keeps you happy!

Chkgun93: pretty obvious she is even worse than what I thought, huh? Also, it was clear that either Gates or her boss have something to do with the conspiracy that killed Johanna Beckett...

stonegnome1: I think that, when I change it, I'll write it as you say, it makes sense.

Castellum: indeed, Gates doesn't like the idea of having our good old Castle working with her detectives.

bones35: it'd be as if you kicked Andrés Iniesta out of FC Barcelona just because you don't like him. By the way, the way I see it, it'd be Kate Beckett = Xavi Hernández (leaders, game directors), Javier Esposito = David Villa (good attackers, powerful) and Kevin Ryan = Lionel Messi (good attackers, less powerful but more agile).

ILoveMySeries: it isn't that difficult, if you know the characters well enough.

NessAliceLautner, baterista9, Bones35, ZiLive, RosalineC: thank you!

Also: Next chapter will be from Lanie's POV!


	17. Chapter 17: Lanie's Fun

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 17

Lanie's Fun

After she examines the body at the crime scene, she has it (and herself) transported to her laboratory to be able to perform the autopsy. First thing she has been able to determine is that the woman – for the moment a Jane Doe, although it was expected that the neighbors would be able to tell the officers and detectives her identity – died between 6 and 8 AM, and that the fall has happened at 9 AM, approximately. She wonders how, exactly, that thing happened, but that is something that would have to be researched by the detectives: her work was just to ascertain the actual cause of death.

As both she and the stretcher with the woman's corpse reach the floor where the lab is, she finds, waiting for her, her best friend.

"Katherine Beckett, it's been too long," she says, smiling at Kate.

"We met two days ago, Lanie, that's hardly 'too long'," Beckett replies, chuckling, before wincing and raising her right hand to the chest.

"Kate! Are you alright?" she asks, worried, and stepping towards her.

"Yeah, it's just my chest, it gives me some pains when the pill loses effectiveness. I can't have the next one until midday, and it is really irritating."

"Have you talked about this with your doctor?"

"Yeah. That, and the exhaustion. He told me that he couldn't do anything, that the painkillers were heavy enough and that I would just have to carry on for a couple of more weeks."

"Damn, girl. That's real bad, at least you can still have your coffee and claws. Talking about coffee, where is Writer Boy? He should have brought you your morning coffee already."

"We decided it'd be better if he came here tomorrow, instead of today, so that I could get used again to working..." she yawns, "... here."

"Girl, you really are exhausted. Have you been sleeping well lately?"

"Yeah, well, something like that," Kate replies. To her surprise, she can see Kate's cheeks are slowly reddening. She knows that this is a VERY good signal, because she loves to goad her.

"Ooooh, did something happened with Writer Boy last night?" she asks, waggling her eyebrows.

"No! This is only the effect of the pills!" Kate says, still blushing. "Could you just tell me who this woman is or do I have to go and ask Perlmutter?"

"Easy, girl, don't get your knickers in a twist. So far, she's a Jane Doe. She has three GSWs on her chest, two on the right side and the third on the left, the latter may have been the COD."

"Time of death?"

"Between 6 and 8 AM. That's the best approximation I can do until I do an exhaustive autopsy."

"6-8 AM? That's awfully sooner than the moment the guys report the body fell."

"Yes. She fell out of the window at 9 AM, an hour later than the lower limit."

"Might be that the killer wanted to erase all marks of his or her actions in the victim's flat before dropping her out. Did the guys start to fish around for her ID?"

"They were when I left," she replies, and her mobile phone starts ringing. "Oh, that must be it, excuse me." She picks the phone and sees it is Javier calling. She accepts the call.

"Hello, Javi," she says, ignoring Kate rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Chica, how's it going?" he asks.

"Pretty well, I have Beckett here, we were talking about our last Jane Doe."

"Great. Would you put the speaker on?" She does so, and puts the phone over a free table. Javier starts to talk again. "Our Jane Doe is called Miriam Dayton. 34, lives on the fourth floor of the building right in front of where she was found. She was an executive at Novel Models Studios, a clothes designer firm. A couple of the neighbors report that they last saw her last night when she came back from work, and that she didn't have any visitors between 8 PM and 3 AM. One neighbor reports having heard muffled shouts from her house and then several things falling to the floor at around 6:30 AM, but he couldn't hear much because the vic's flat was soundproof."

"Do you have something else we might be interested in?" Kate asks.

"We got the manager to open her apartment, and apart of really noticing how well soundproofed this place is, we have seen that the place seems to be thrashed."

"Was this a robbery gone wrong?"

"If it wasn't for the fact that the lock has not been forced, I'd say that the robbery thing is possible. There are several drawers that have been thrown to the floor, a couple of open closets, a few broken dishes in the kitchen... There might have been a big fight when the killer entered."

"It probably was someone the victim knew. Get the CSU to start looking for anything in the flat."

"They are already on it, boss. They are checking every nook and corner around the place."

"Talk with the neighbors, see if someone can shed more light on that discussion."

"I'll do that, but I doubt it will actually work. The neighbor I asked before lives right over the vic's flat, and even he could only hear what I told you."

Kate sighs. "Try anyway, and then go to the victim's workplace. They may have something that can shed light on all of this. I'll start setting up the board while you guys are out."

"We will do that. See you later, ladies," Javier says, and hangs up.

"OK, I should go upstairs and start preparing the board. Would you please start with the autopsy, Lanie?"

"Ohh, no, you are not getting away that easily, girl. You ain't going back upstairs till you tell me what exactly has been going on between Writer Boy and you!"

Kate glares at her, but she pays no mind to that. After all, this is her best friend, and, well, she really likes to know what Kate has been up to when she was not looking.

"Do I ask you about what you get up to with Esposito, Lanie?"

"If you did, I would happily tell you, girl."

Kate rolls her eyes at her friend, and throws an exasperated sigh. "I'll make sure to take up on that offer at some point. And, for your information, we have not had sex yet. We may have slept together a couple of times. Only slept, before you start making assumptions."

"Nice. And, tell me, how good is it living with Richard Castle, Writer Boy extraordinaire?"

She can see that Kate is struggling to prevent herself from smiling widely, which pretty much tells her the answer to her question.

"Well... it is... quite nice."

"Come on, Beckett, that shit-eating grin you are struggling to not wear tells me it is more than 'quite nice'. Spill the beans."

"Oh, OK. It is great living with him. He is attentive, affectionate, knows when I need him and when I need to be alone, he cooks like a chef, he makes me laugh... I really, really like to be with him, you know? He makes me feel like if I was the most loved woman in the world."

"Wow, girl, you've got it hard. You guys really love each other, don't you?"

"Yeah," Kate replies, smiling. She hugs Kate.

"Damn, I am so happy for you. I really hope that you will let me become the maid of honor at your wedding."

"Wed... what? We have been together just for two weeks! We haven't even talked about marriage!"

"Yet. He is your one-and-done, do not deny it. I'd say that he will propose within a year. And you may have been together for just two weeks, but you have known each other for three years, and I'd say that it is more than enough time to actually know each other well. Now, the only thing you have to do is to jump his bones and make him forget that he writes books at all."

"LANIE!" Kate shouts, clearly embarrassed.

"Go," she replies, pointing out of the laboratory. "You have a board to set up and I have a body to dissect, so you just go, and start thinking on how to make Writer Boy forget his own name."

Kate just sputters, stunned by her comments, so she just steps behind her and gently pushes her out of the morgue until she has passed the double doors.

Once those are closed behind Kate's back, she gives free rein to her laughter. It has been hilarious to actually get revenge for Kate's pulling the thread about her relationship with Javi. Now, she has to start to think on how she will do the same with Ryan and Castle...

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Here you are, chapter 17. I say, the last chapter was really funny and interesting, especially given the theme it worked with, that of superheroes. The best thing was probably seeing the journalist and officer couple together, and noticing the great similarity existing between those two and Castle and Beckett. Why won't Beckett follow her own advice and stop letting her mother's death define everything about herself? At least, she could give Castle a chance.

Also, I was surprised to notice that my case's death was on 36th with Lexington, while the one in the first chapter was on 18th with Lexington. Quite creepy.

Regarding the reviews... 3? Come on, I know you guys can do much better than THAT! (And, for some reason, the number of hits is only 558 as of the moment I am writing this) I hope to see at least 6 reviews in next chapter!

And now, messages for the reviewers!

My muse: finally together, and finally able to tell you how much I love you, baby. I hope that you like this story and that it makes you laugh as it has made me laugh.

Chkgun93: I will make sure to make a comment in regards to that when Castle meets Gates :D

baterista9: Gracias por tu traducción!

ZiLive: thank you!

Also: Next chapter will be from... well, I am not going to spoil the surprise. It is got something to do with the new case, so that's something for you to think about


	18. Chapter 18: Paula's Work

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 18

Paula's Work

She is sitting down behind her desk, drawing one of her ideas on a piece of paper. She looks around, worried. Her boss usually comes at 8 AM, but she has not arrived yet. She wonders what could have happened.

The door to the elevator opens, and a pair of men come out of it. They are both quite yummy, especially the white-skinned one, although the Hispanic guy also looks quite well. They talk with the receptionist and he points towards her table, or more accurately to the door behind her. That makes her nervous. Something has happened to her boss, that's for sure.

The two men approach her, and the white-skinned one pulls a wallet out of his pocket. It has a police badge on it.

"Paula Xanders? Detectives Ryan and Esposito, NYPD. We wish to make you a few questions about Miriam Dayton."

"Did something happen to her?" she asks.

"She was found dead this morning on the street, next to her house, and we think she was murdered. We are trying to find who did it and why."

"Oh. OK."

The two detectives look at each other and then at her. "You do not seem to be very affected by her death."

"Oh, I am affected, but believe me, I will not shed any tears over her."

"Why do you say that, Ms Xanders?"

"Because... well, I know that it is not exactly a good think to speak ill of the dead, but, to be sincere, she was a bitch." She sits back on her chair and looks at the detectives, daring them to correct her. When she sees that all they are waiting for is her comments, she keeps talking. "She treated us all like shit. Never gave us any respite, always hounding us to work when she wasn't hidden in her office making it look like as if she was working non-stop. If any of us had a good idea, she would immediately pounce on it and present it to the high bosses as if she had had the idea on her own, and when she screwed up she pinned the guilt on us and then would act as if her compassion and her abilities were the only things that saved us from getting fired. As if."

"Where were you between 6 and 9 AM, Ms Xanders?" Detective Esposito asked, pulling out a notebook and a pen.

"Oh, you think I am a suspect?" she asks. "I may have hated her, but I would have not tried to murder her. I woke up around 5, 6 AM, decided to have a run around the park, then came back home and changed and arrived here for work at... 8:30? I am not sure of the exact moment that happened."

"Anyone that can confirm that?"

"Well, no one can actually confirm at the hour I woke up, because I don't have a boyfriend and live alone," she accompanies this with a wink that the two detectives answer with an eye-roll, "probably the super at my building saw me when I went for the run and came back, and the guys with the cameras can probably prove the exact time I arrived. Apart from that... well, maybe someone in the street can actually tell whether they saw me or not."

"That's alright, we will be checking that. Now, can you tell me anything you may know about Ms Dayton that may be useful for us? For example, someone that could have a grudge against her?"

"Huh... well, I think that she has a brother, I don't know how close they are, I only remember hearing her once shouting through the phone about some problem she had with him wanting too much money or something like that. I think he is called... Zach. Zach Dayton."

"Thank you. Anything else you may have?"

"Mmm... oh yeah! I remember. A couple of weeks ago there was a guy working here, Daniel Morris, and she fired him personally. They had a huge fight in the middle of the office when Paula told him that he was to get out of here. I remember she told him something about regretting the choices that were made, and he answered that she would regret what she did."

"Sounds like something pretty big happened there," Detective Ryan said.

"Oh, yeah, it was huge. I don't know what happened between them, but the fight they had was legendary. I think there were people from two floors below complaining about the shouting."

"Do you know where we can find Mr Morris now?"

"I do not know. I know he lives somewhere in southern Manhattan, but apart from that I cannot tell you."

"Thank you for your help, Miss. We may have to ask you more questions later, so please try to remain in contact."

"Oh, of course," she replies. She takes a piece of paper and writes her phone number on it. "Here, this is my number. And if one of you guys has no plans after this ends, you can call me and we can have a date."

"Thank you for your number, Miss Xanders," Detective Ryan says, although he does not sound very grateful at all.

The two detectives leave the place, obviously intent on going back to their work and keep investigating who could have killed Miriam Dayton.

She had been truthful when she talked with the detectives. While it was a bit horrible that she had been murdered, she would not shed any tears for the bitch's death. Given her constant bad behavior, she probably deserved it.

She felt sorry for Daniel. He was a nice guy, and she liked him. She hoped that he did not get sent to prison for Miriam's death. It would not be fair to him, given all the things he had gone through in the last months.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, that's chapter 18. This is the first of several chapters that will happen from the point of view of those people that are involved with the killing of Miriam Dayton, and I am going to have so much fun as you try to ascertain who the killer is! The only person that knows who the actual killer is, besides me, is my beloved muse (my Beckett, if you will :D ), and she also knows everything that happened at Miriam's apartment, as well as the motives behind her death.

In regards to the series, the last chapter was quite interesting, with yet another lesson for the two of them to learn about their possible relationship. And the cryogenized corpses thing was really creepy. Though, I do not believe that cryogenization can actually work, once a person dies, it is game over unless there is actually some kind of "afterlife" for us all.

Regarding the reviews...well, when I ask for reviews, I actually mean that you send MORE reviews. But this time it has reached a new low. Seriously, 2 reviews? That actually means that only 1 every 227 readers has actually taken the time to review. I am not happy with that. Of course, it is not as bad as chapter 3, which only had 1 reviewer. Honestly, I hope that you get your bearings together and actually write something. Remember, more reviews means happier writer!

My muse: I can't wait until I finally see you again today! I hope that you liked this chapter (we will probably read it together when we come back from having lunch...)

Chkgun93: thank you. As for Gates, well, she is a real tough boss, but it seems she knows how to be fair when it is required. Let's hope she is not too intransigent.

bones35: yeah, it is a great sentence, and I think it would be quite in-character for Lanie to say. Let's hope that Lanie manages to do something to help Castle and Beckett get together.

Also: Next chapter will be from Castle's point of view, and it will deal with both the Miriam Dayton case and some of the Johanna Beckett case.


	19. Chapter 19: Rick's Theory

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 19

Rick's Theory

He is writing really fast. He has gotten the inspiration to write a chapter or two of what he expects to be the fourth Nikki Heat book, which hopefully will not be the last one, and his fingers fly over the keyboard as he imagines the scene. A shooting in which Nikki is involved, while Jameson Rook is next to her, unarmed and unable to find a way out of his situation. Nikki gives Rook a gun and tells him to cover her for a few seconds. She knows it is not a good idea, but it is the only thing she can think about, apart from trying to keep Rook safe. They have been romantically together for several months, and she will be damned if she lets Rook be harmed.

He lifts his eyes from the laptop screen when he hears the key entering the door hole and opening. He immediately knows it is Kate. He has a very good ear for those details, and he knows that each of his family's members opens the door in a different way. The way the shoes click when they touch the floor help even more in identifying her, too. He puts the laptop on sleep mode and closes it, before standing up and coming out of his office.

He finds Kate leaving a bag over the kitchen counter, and then wincing as she lowers her arm.

"Kate. Are you OK?" he asks, worried.

"Hey, Rick," she says, smiling through the pain. "Don't worry, it is nothing."

"If it pains, I'd say it is actually something," he replies, hugging her and kissing her cheek. She leans on him, and turns to return the hug.

"Thank you," she mumbles. Kate then separates her face from him and smiles up. "I brought some Indian food on the way back from work. Where are Alexis and Martha?"

"Well, Alexis is staying with Ashley, she is trying to make the most out of the time they have together until he leaves for Stanford in August, and Mother has decided to have a night with a couple of her friends. So, that means we are alone tonight."

"Interesting," she replies. "How was your day?"

"Well, I have been advancing on my next book. And, you know, I really hope that you will be willing to act as my proof reader whenever you have some free time."

Kate raises an eyebrow, in that adorable way of hers. "And how exactly do you expect to pay for my work as a proof-reader? Because, believe me, it will not be cheap."

He caresses her back, before he carefully raises her and has her sit on the kitchen counter, so that she stands over himself.

"Well, I do have money, so I think that I won't have a problem paying you what you want," he says, kissing her softly on the lips, "although, if it is not money what you want, there are several other things I can pay you with. For example, you would be getting sneak peeks on the new book," he kisses her cheek, "or I could buy you a new slinky dress," he kisses her just below her ear, "or maybe a ticket for a spa day," he kisses her neck, making her shake as she feels his lips touching her pulse point, "or, if you like it," he opens a button of her blouse, "a night of wild sex for each chapter you read."

Kate laughs at that, and pushes him back.

"Stop right there, Castle. It is time to offer food, not sex. I'm hungry, so you'd better be getting me down from here and let me eat some of this rice with curry before it goes cold, or else I may not take your offer of alternative payments."

"Of course, my lady," he replies, and lets her down from the counter as carefully as he sat her on before. She grins at him, and grabs the bag, carrying it towards the table. He takes a couple of glasses and fills them with water, figuring that she doesn't want alcohol right now, as well as two plates, forks and knives.

"Wow, you read my mind," she says as she sees the water glasses, taking them and putting them on the table.

"Only one of my many attributes, my dear." He puts the two plates on the table, with the cutlery at the sides, and then opens a couple of the boxes and serves the food. Kate takes one of the dishes, he follows her example, and soon both of them are eating the Indian food.

"How was work? Did something interesting happen?"

"Depends on what you call 'interesting, but yeah. A woman was shot and thrown out of the window. She was an executive at Novel Models Studios, a clothes designing firm. The secretary says that she was a really bad boss, always stealing ideas from her subordinates and putting the guilt on them."

"Any suspects?" he asks, taking a bite of rice.

"We've got two possible suspects, the victim's brother and a guy the victim fired almost two weeks ago. We have checked everyone that worked with the victim and their stories seem to work out, although we are still looking at something that could have passed by."

"Oh, imagine this theory. The victim is easily ascending into the structure of the company, slowly gaining more and more power. She is bound to become soon a part of the highest level of the company, and one of the high-level executives reveals a secret to her, about a great conspiracy between all the clothes designing houses. When she realizes how important this conspiracy is, she threatens to make it public if she is not given more power over said conspiracy. However, she forgets that the conspirators have been in charge for many years, and that they are not going to relinquish their power, so they find a sleeper agent and order him to get into the victim's house and kill her, before leaving without leaving any prints."

Kate looks at him, and he knows that she has caught him.

"Castle, that's so... unoriginal from you. That's the argument of a film."

"Damn. Did not know you as someone who enjoyed some mindless entertainment from time to time."

"I do read your books, don't I?" she replies, winking at him.

"Ouch! Wounded in the deepest recesses of my heart! And by the woman I love, nonetheless!" he says, bringing up the ability for flair he has inherited from his mother.

"Rick," she says, amused.

"No, no! I shall bring myself and my ideas somewhere where they will be more appreciated!" He takes his now empty dish and takes it to the sink, before entering his office and sitting on his comfortable chair.

When he feels a pair of slender, soft-skinned arms snaking around his neck and a pair of lips kissing his cheek, he smiles, and turns his head around so that he can kiss Kate back.

"You know I love you and your theories, even if they are crazy. You never know when you can hit the right button."

"That's good to know. Of course, that means I will have to come up with more theories to see if I can actually hit the right button," he replies. He turns around on his chair and brings Kate with him, making her sit on his lap. She is surprised, pleasantly surprised, and even more when he kisses her softly.

"Believe me, it is worth it to hear you trying to do that. But, please, when you come back tomorrow to the precinct, try not to spin too many wild theories whenever you are around Gates, she doesn't like hearing nonsensical things."

"Pity. I have been told that sometimes the nonsensical things are the funniest ones. I thought that she might use a couple of laughs."

Kate laughs, and he smiles. He loves Kate's laugh, and loves making her laugh.

"Anyway, if you attempt to spin an idea, make it a believable one, is that alright?"

"Of course, my dear lady. Now, I believe that there is still some food waiting for us at the dining room." He stands up and takes Kate on his arms.

"Castle, lower me down right now or..." she is interrupted by a kiss. Rick takes advantage of this to push the door and carry his girlfriend to the sofa, to then put her lying down on it. She looks at him with anger, but he knows it is faked.

"You are so going to pay for that, Castle," she threatens.

"Oh, I am so scared," he replies, grinning. Taking advantage of Kate's current position, he decides to lie down in top of her, to prevent her escape or something. "There, try to make me pay, my beautiful Detective."

Kate remains quiet for a few seconds, but then she pushes him. He is so surprised by this that he can't manage to stay on the couch, and falls to the floor between the couch and the table, face up. She drops from the couch, and lands on top of him.

"Huh, I think you can start paying now," she whispers, clearly enjoying this.

"Well, I am willing to make a deal with you, if you wish."

"I am making no deals. I am going to take what I want."

"Come get it, then," he dares her. She grins, and leans down onto him to claim the first part of her payment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, that's chapter 19. Some fluff with Kate and Rick, showing how they live when out of work the day before Rick returns to the 12th Precinct. There are also a couple of things about the current case, and that will be expanded on future chapters.

In regards to the series, the last chapter was quite frustrating in regards to Beckett. I mean, she knows that Castle likes her, and it is clear she really likes him, but she tells him he will have to wait... and she gets angry just because he kissed another woman? (And only because she had asked him to distract her) Honest, she should just throw caution to the wind and finally do something about their relationship.

Regarding the reviews...well, when I ask for reviews, I actually mean that you send MORE reviews. But this time it has reached a new low. Seriously, 2 reviews? That actually means that only 1 every 315 readers has actually taken the time to review. I am not happy with that. Of course, it is not as bad as chapter 3, which only had 1 reviewer. Honestly, I hope that you get your bearings together and actually write something. Remember, more reviews means happier writer!

My muse: I hope that you liked this chapter, and that our relationship lasts as long as we want for Castle and Beckett to last... :)

ZiLive, RosalineC: thank you!

Next chapter will be from Ryan's point of view, as the detectives make the first investigations in the whole thing.


	20. Chapter 20: Victoria's Secret

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented

Chapter 20

Victoria's Secret

She can see them from her office.

She has been filling up paperwork and reading up on some reports the whole morning, as she is still getting used to this place. It is quite nice, although it does somewhat lack the atmosphere of the 14th. The detectives she had under her command were professional, and everything there was done always in a certain way.

Not in here, though. She can see Detective Esposito on the phone, clearly talking with someone as he takes notes, Detective Ryan is writing on his computer, looking for some data, and Detective Beckett is working on paperwork. Surprisingly for her, she can see Castle, not loitering as she would have expected, but actually helping Beckett with her paperwork.

From what she has heard, Castle previously spent his time playing on his mobile phone, complaining about not being doing something more interesting and generally getting into everybody's nerves. Perhaps he thinks that this way he will be able to get into her good graces.

He has another thing coming if he actually believes that.

She sees Esposito hanging the phone and standing up, to then stop at Ryan's desk and check what he is doing. The Irish points out at the screen and Esposito nods, pointing at the notes he has made and apparently making some sort of correlation between the two things. At least, that is what she believes, for she cannot hear what they are speaking.

Ryan stands up, too, and she decides to stand up and get out of the office, to hear what the two detectives have to say.

"Beckett!" Esposito says. The woman looks up from the paperwork, and Castle turns around on his chair. Both are clearly happy for this chance to get away from the paperwork, and stand up.

"What do you have, guys?"

"Well, Paula Xanders told us that Ms Dayton had kicked out a Daniel Morris. I have made a couple of calls and I have gathered that Morris is married since about a year ago, and is currently working at a coffee-shop at Madison Avenue with 33rd, about twenty, thirty minutes away from her house. Ample time to make a visit on the way home," Esposito explains. "Also, I have dug in Miriam's affairs, and it turns out she did not have a written will, so all her belongings will be inherited by her only relative, her brother Zach."

"That's a big motive, I say," Ryan continues, "and more given what I have found in his account. Lately, he has been paying a lot of money to Bellevue. Does not say why, but it must be something big."

"Well, we do have two suspects now with motive," Beckett says, going to the Murder Table and picking a black marker and writing something on the table that she could not see, but had an idea about what it was.

"Given that she has been described by her secretary as a bitch, I think that maybe we should talk with a few of her subordinates. We do really need to know if she was as bad as she said," Castle suggests, and she is somewhat impressed. It looks like Castle is not as flighty as she thought previously.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Beckett states. "OK. Esposito, Ryan, would you go get... Morris? He does have a bigger reason to kill, especially since he was fired recently. I will make a call for the people at the clothes designer firm so that we can arrange for two of Dayton's co-workers to speak with us."

"OK, boss," Esposito says, rushing towards his table and picking a set of keys. "I am driving today."

"Hey, no way man, you drove yesterday to the designers' building," Ryan replies, running after his partner. Both of them leave towards the lift, arguing the whole way about whose turn it is to drive the car today.

"Not bad, Castle," Beckett says with a smile. "First you do paperwork, without complaining, and then you offer a normal, non-weird, suggestion to solve the case. At this rate, I will either start thinking that you are an actual cop or that there is something wrong with you."

"Hey, let's not go that way. Of course, if you want some ideas of the weird-Castle vintage, I will be more than happy to provide them."

"Naaah, let's keep it this way. We can keep the weird ideas for later, when we are back at home, OK?"

"Sure. So, shall we continue with the paperwork or do you prefer to study the murder table for a time?"

Castle is really impressing her today.

"I prefer to get rid of the paperwork first, Castle. The sooner we do it, the sooner we will be able to get back home at the end of the day."

"OK. Do you mind if I go get a cup of coffee? I can bring you one, too."

"Sure, I would love some coffee," Beckett replies with a smile. He kisses her on the cheek and leaves for the break room. She decides to come out of the office and speak with Beckett. She has heard most of what has happened, but she still wants to hear it from the detective.

"Beckett?" she asks. Beckett turns from the Murder Table and looks at her.

"Sir," Beckett replies.

"What do you have on the case?"

"Well, so far the guys have checked the financials of two people the victim's secretary mentioned. The brother is going to receive everything the victim had, a big motive, especially given that he seems to be spending a lot of money lately at the hospital, but I believe that the man she fired, Daniel Morris, would probably have had more reasons to kill her as she was. I have sent Ryan and Esposito to get him for interrogation, we can either get him to confess if he is guilty or to provide us with more information if he is innocent."

"Well done, Detective. I hope that you keep me informed of this."

"Of course, Sir."

"By the way, how is Castle behaving right now?"

"Pretty well, actually. He is helping a lot now. Not that he did not help before, but seems like today he had the whim to give a hand with the paperwork. Heaven knows when he will choose to stop doing it, but we might as well milk that cow as much as possible."

Despite herself, she smiles at the small joke.

"Quite good, Beckett. Keep working, and tell me when Ryan and Esposito bring Morris here."

"Yes, Sir."

She enters her office again, and settles down, looking at her paperwork. She might as well follow Beckett's example and finish it as soon as possible. She might like working, but it does not mean that she wants to do that the whole time.

.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, there it is, chapter 20. I know that this chapter would be from Ryan's POV, but I thought that maybe it was the time to put this on the point of view of their boss. Also, it's back to work for Rick, and, well, Victoria isn't exactly an ice queen, and I am trying to show that. Sorry for taking so much time to post this, but my muse left me and I was left without inspiration. Hopefully it won't show much in here.

In regards to the series, I loved most of the latest chapters, especially Cops & Robbers when Kate finds Rick after the explosion and the expression in her face is quite clear (not to mention that the only person she seems to be looking for is him). How much until Kate and Rick admit it loudly?

Regarding the reviews... I hope that this time I'll be able to see many more. I know that loads of people (not as many as I would love to see) are reading this, so there is not much reason to not write your opinion of this story.

My former muse: I hope that life takes you where you can be happy.

Everyone that wrote a review: thank you!

Next chapter will be from Mr Morris POV, as he is interrogated for the murder of Ms Dayton.


	21. Chapter 21: Daniel's Worries

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevente

Chapter 21

Daniel's Worries

When the two detectives presented themselves in the coffee-shop where he works, he felt the need to run away. Given his situation, some might think that this means he is guilty of something, but in reality it was the feeling that he has done something bad, and running away from them would be the natural response. But he also knows that running away would have done nothing good for his case, it would have actually make him look guiltier. So he just lets the detectives take him to the police station. They have told him it has to do with that bitch of Miriam Dayton, although they have not explained why. Whatever it is, he knows he is innocent.

Does not matter much right now, because he is sitting in an interrogation room, where he has been for about ten minutes. He is sitting on a very uncomfortable chair, there are two more chairs and a table in the room. He suspects that the chair is that way to make sure that whomever is getting the interrogation speaks up as soon as possible. At least he is not cuffed to the chair. Just in front of him there is a mirror, but he knows that it is in reality a one-sided window, he has seen it in a lot of films.

The door opens, and two people enter. One of them is a brunette woman, of about thirty years, quite good-looking (not that he actually would go after her, he loves his wife of five years) and very well dressed according to his keen eye, as well as a 'piss-me-off-and-you-will-WISH-you-would-die' . The other person is a man, probably around thirty-five, with good clothes that screamed 'RICH GUY!' from afar, a bit more relaxed and less... authoritative than the woman.

"Mr Morris?" the woman asks, snapping him out of his lucubrations. "I am Detective Beckett, this is Richard Castle, consultant." He is surprised. Richard Castle, the writer?

"Yes, I am the _famous_ Richard Castle," he replies, clearly reading into his face.

"Castle," Detective Beckett warns him. Castle seems contrite, but still smiles at her. She turns to him and fixes a hard look at him. "Mr Morris, where were you yesterday between 6 and 9 AM?"

That is certainly a question he does not expect.

"Why do you want to know that?" he asks, confused.

"Well, obviously you have not heard. Miriam Dayton was killed yesterday morning."

"You serious?" he asks.

"Pretty much, yeah. Would you mind answering the question, please?"

"Why? Are you seriously thinking that I killed that bitch?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Castle replies, in the same tone as the detective. Castle turns then to her. "Why does everybody call Miriam Dayton a bitch?"

"Because she was that and much more, you know?" he says, even if he knows the question has not been directed at him. "I am not sure of who you have been speaking with so far, but believe me, she was a woman who did not deserve being in her position. The only thing she was good at was at getting around, if you know what I mean. Well, not exactly that, she did not sleep around with all the higher ups at the company, but she knew how to use her body to make sure the bosses followed her suggestions or gave her a promotion."

"What the victim did or did not do at her workplace is not what we want to know. What we actually know is that, the day you were fired, you told Miriam that she would regret doing it, so I guess you pretty much had the motive to kill her. The method, well, we still have to check the things, but I am going to ask for a search warrant for your house, and you should pray that we do not find the murder weapon."

"It would be a waste of time. Mostly because I did not kill Dayton. You want to know where I was yesterday morning? I was working at the coffee-shop, you can ask my boss there."

"We will have to check that. Would you mind explaining why you got fired from Novel Models?"

"Why?" He does not actually want to tell them the truth. It is quite embarrassing for him.

"See, we are trying to investigate why she was killed. Anything you can tell us will help us find the killer."

"Look, it is not that I do not want to help, I would love to, but the reason I got fired is not one I like to tell anyone, much less declare about it. Only person I have told is my wife, and it was bad enough when I told her."

"So, it was not that the lady boss caught you having sex with other girl, otherwise you would have not told your wife," Castle says, "and the same can be said of petty things like stealing office supplies. I doubt it was something too serious, like corporate espionage, that would have probably got you sent to prison."

"The way it looks like, it must have been something more personal, related to Dayton, or else you would not seem to hate her so much..." the detective says, continuing the writer's line of thought. "It was something she did, something about which you did not have the fault, and it does not sound like it was something you created which she then appropriated and then fired you over to prevent you from taking due credit, because she had already done several times if what you say is true..."

"ENOUGH!" he shouts, trying to stop them, as he wonders how they do that. Honest, it is as if they are connected through their minds. It is too late, though, because the detective's eyes are now widely open, in understanding, as the writer takes over.

"... she became fixated with you, you were like the forbidden fruit because you are married and in love with your wife, and since you worked for her she thought that she could easily force you to have sex with her, but you resisted her advances constantly, and in the end she decided to fire you using whatever excuse she could think about, and that is when she told you about regretting your choices."

"YES!" he cries out, frustrated. "THE BITCH NEVER GAVE ME A MOMENT OF PEACE, ALWAYS HOUNDING ME, 'OH, DANIEL, YOU KNOW YOU WANT ME, HOW ABOUT A QUICKIE IN THE FREAKING BATHROOM, NOBODY HAS TO KNOW'!"

The two of them look at him with something he cannot quite identify, but it does not seem to be all pity, at least. They wait until he has calmed down to make the next comment.

"Why did you not report it to the police?" the detective asks.

"Oh, yeah, that would have gone really well," he replies sarcastically. "'Look, sir, my lady boss does not stop sexually harassing me and is threatening to fire me if I do not have sex with her.' I would get laughed out of the police station. Once she heard about it, she would have gone to the police station, say it was _me_ who harassed _her_, she would be believed instantly, and then my life would be completely screwed up because that freaking bitch would not take a no for an answer."

The two look at each other, and back at him. There is a bit of pity in their eyes, but there is also understanding, understanding of the situation Miriam Dayton had put him in.

And he feels that he will soon get rid of this problem.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, there it is, chapter 21. This the first suspect the guys have, and the interrogatory has shown a bit more about the victim. The fact that not only women are sexually harassed is pretty much real (and the fact that some people think they can harass their co-workers just for the fact that they are below them in the hierarchy of the work is disgusting).

In regards to the series, I liked _Kill Shot_. Kate really suffered a lot, with the PTSD from her being shot, but at least she was able to give the first step towards recovering from that. Rick was great, too, asking Esposito to give Kate a hand in recovering. Wish that Rick had been able to do something more. I can't wait to see _Cuffed_, especially to see what Rick says when he realises that he is cuffed to Kate. Will something happen between them? (KISSKISSKISSKISS!)

Regarding the reviews... this sucks a lot. 1 review? And here I thought that you were actually interested in my story... Come on, I expected the 652 visitors would have tried to write something!

My former muse: I hope that life takes you where you can be happy.

castlencis: thank you!

Next chapter will be, yes, from Ryan's POV, as the guys check Daniel Morris' alibi.


	22. Chapter 22: Kevin's Investigation

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevent

Chapter 22

Kevin's Investigation

"You are sure of that, sir?" he asks into the phone.

"Yes, sir," the man at the other side of the line answers. "Dan arrived here at 5:30 AM and did only leave his place twice and for ten minutes each time, once at 8:30 AM and the other at 11 AM."

"Thank you, sir," he replies.

"Glad to help you, Detective."

He puts down the phone and goes to the murder table, where he picks one of the markers.

"OK, Morris' alibi is confirmed. The only time he left his job yesterday morning was at eight thirty and eleven o'clock," he says, writing down the times in which Morris was at work the previous day.

"Pretty much rules him out as the killer, the vic's house is at least fifteen minutes from his job," Esposito says. "Not saying that he might have not hired someone, but it pretty much says that he did not do it."

"Doubt he would hire someone, it would cost way too much to do that," Castle says. "Besides, the financial data say he has not made any big expense in the last month or two."

"We can work on other possibilities, but we should not leave the investigation of Morris, something might yet point out to his involvement in her death," Beckett replies. "How far are things with the other workers?"

He pulls out a list. "Well, we already spoke with the victim's secretary, and we've got their HR Department to send us a list of her previous co-workers, those who were left behind when she was promoted. Any of them could have hoped to get that position and feel resented when she got it. While you interrogated Daniel, I checked what Zach Dayton has been spending all that money in. Looks like that his daughter is ill, and his insurance does not cover the treatment."

"We'll have to talk with him. I doubt he would so willing to kill his sister just for the money, but you never know what he could do just to help his daughter."

"For a daughter? If that were me... well, I doubt I would actually kill. But if Alexis were ill, I would do anything on my hand to make sure she got the best possible treatment," Castle says. "And besides, remember that thing the secretary told us, that Miriam had been discussing with her brother over the phone? I'm going out on a limb with this, but maybe they argued because he was asking her for money and she blew him off."

"Pretty much what I thought. Ryan, send us the list when you get it, we will have to check everyone in there. You and Esposito take care of checking if any of them has committed any crimes, we will check other things. Anyone that is in problem right now might feel that Miriam's actions stole him the chance to get out of those actions."

"On it, Beckett," he replies, and rushes behind his desk, to see if Novel Models Studios' Human Resources Department has followed up on his request. He sees that they have sent him an e-mail, so he opens it. The attachment contains the requested information, so he just re-sends it to Beckett's and Esposito's e-mail accounts. A few seconds later, Beckett gives him a thumbs up, signaling that the e-mail has reached her. He downloads the list and opens it, so that he can start checking names.

He then sees that Esposito has sent him an e-mail, telling him to get on the chat room. He wonders what he wants to talk with him about, so he does it, while he keeps looking for other clues for the investigation.

_J_Espo: Dude, this list looks boring._

_K_Ryan: It is boring. But don't complain, it's job._

_J_Espo: I know, man. BTW, how's the planning for your wedding going?_

_K_Ryan: Couldn't you have asked me that, like, when we were on our break?_

_J_Espo: Yeah, but where's the fun then?_

_K_Ryan: *rolls eyes* _

_J_Espo: Come on, man, some details. I want to make plans for when you know the date._

_K_Ryan: What kind of plans, exactly?_

_J_Espo: Well, if you end up choosing me as your BM, then I have to prepare loads of things! The speech, the organization, the stag night_

_K_Ryan: Hey, hey, hey, what's this about a stag night?_

_J_Espo: Y'know, that night that happens a few days before the wedding and where the soon-to-be groom celebrates the end of his bachelorhood_

_K_Ryan: I KNOW what a stag night is, dude. Problem is that I am not sure if I actually want a stag night._

_J_Espo: What? Oh, come on, it is a tradition._

_K_Ryan: Well, it is not a tradition I want to follow. For starters, Jenny has a lot of teen cousins, and we would have to invite them. Are you sure you want to do the traditional stag night with them?_

_J_Espo: Oh._

_K_Ryan: Also, I don't want to face the girls if they learn we've had strippers. You think that Beckett will not try to kill you if we bring Castle to a strip show?_

_J_Espo: Hey, why just me? Wouldn't she try to kill you, too?_

_K_Ryan: No. Because I'd make sure to tell her it was all your idea._

_J_Espo: *glare*_

_K_Ryan: Don't get angry, mate. If anything happens, you are bringing it upon yourself. Should I also point out that I doubt Lanie would like it if you dallied with some strippers?_

_J_Espo: What?_

_K_Ryan: Dude, we are not blind. You thought we would not realize that you and Lanie have been shacking up for the last three months?_

He raises his eyes from the computer and sees that Esposito has stopped writing. He cannot see his face, but he can imagine his dropped jaw as he looks at the computer screen. He sniggers and returns to the search of information in the list. He really hopes that he can find out something useful, because he dislikes wasting time in these things.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, there it is, chapter 22. Well, the first suspect has now alibied out, and they are practically back at square one. They have a couple of extra clues, another suspect and a few potential suspects, but nothing else.

Cuffed was a really funny episode! The lampshading by Esposito and Ryan about couples going around each other without actually getting together just as Beckett and Castle are literally going around each other was great, and the scene where it looks like the two of them are actually having sex was really hilarious. Let's hope that next chapter gives us a bit more about their relationship beyond their dancing around.

Regarding the reviews... honestly, guys. This is not conductive to getting me to write more chapters! 0 reviews equals unhappy thoughts!

Next chapter will be from Kate's POV: the Castle family will be receiving an unwelcome visit at their house.


	23. Chapter 23: Kate's Enemy

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been preven

Chapter 23

Kate's Enemy

They walk out of the elevator, holding hands, reveling on the fact that they are finally home.

_Home_, she thinks, _awfully rare how fast I am calling this place home._ She does think about his place as home, though. Even if she has been living there for less than ten days, it already feels more homely to her than her apartment, in which she has only been a couple of times to get clean clothes.

It still makes her feel weird. Her apartment is big, and really nice, and she managed to recover enough things from her old apartment – the one Scott Dunn blew up – that the new apartment actually felt like it.

It does lack one very important thing. The people. It is the people that make Casa Castle what it is to her. She is alone in the apartment, but here at Rick's loft she is never alone, there is always someone with her. Martha likes to tell them stories about what she has been up to in the acting academy or telling her – against Rick's horrified demands – several embarrassing stories about Rick's childhood and adolescence, which make her laugh. Alexis loves to pull them into watching movies or playing games, likes to talk with her about "girl things", never shies away from asking her for help in either homework – not that she needs a lot of help, because she is really smart – or other things.

And Rick... well, he is another thing. Like she told Lanie a few days ago, he is great with her. He is still the overgrown twelve-year-old with the energy of a young puppy, but ever since she was shot, it is as if he can read her mind. He is a bit more mature, more retrospective and thoughtful. Still the Castle she met three years ago, but slowly changing.

In the last week, she has ended up sleeping with him three times. No sex yet, though. They speak, they kiss, they cuddle, they even do some intimate touching, but no sex yet. She knows he would love to have sex with her – and she would _really_ love to have sex with him – but with her injuries it is still a bit foolish to engage in strenuous activities. She cannot help but wonder if sex with Richard Castle would be as wonderful as she imagines.

The most he has seen of her – not counting the time when he rescued her from her bombed-out apartment – has been when he has helped her change her bandages.

She wonders if she will end up addicted to sleeping with him. His embrace is so warm and nice that she sleeps really well whenever they are together, and he somehow manages to ward off any nightmares she might have.

She lets him open the door to the loft, and he takes her hand before entering through the now open door.

The first thing they find is a set of suitcases near the door, a set of really expensive suitcases, all of them closed.

The next thing Kate notices is the perfume. Fruity and very strong. She avoids breathing in too much, so that she does not suddenly start to cough.

She looks at Rick, wondering what he thinks, and she sees that he has a deer-in-the-headlights look. No, not that. It seems that he has started to panic at the sight of the suitcases and the smell of the perfume.

"Gorramit," he says. She wonders how much of a _Firefly_ fan Rick is when he is able to say that word so easily, but that does not answer the unasked question.

"Who's this?" she whispers to him.

"Deep-fried twinkie, and I have lost my taste for them," he whispers back. Her face contorts into a grimace, remembering all too well who he is talking about.

"Kitten!" her high-pitched voice sounds, as Meredith comes downstairs. Rick closes his eyes, as if he is in pain, and she cannot reproach him for that.

"Hi, Meredith," he replies in a civil tone, as the blonde woman nears him. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, can't I come here and visit my daughter? And my ex-husband, of course," she adds, giggling. Meredith hugs Rick, and he feels forced to return the hug, but he turns around and she can see him pleading for her help. He really, _really_, does not want her to be here.

Alexis walks into their field of vision, and she can see the teen has an apologetic smile on her face.

"I tried to call you guys, but she did not let me do it," she says.

"Oh, I just wanted to give my Kitten a surprise," Meredith states, still hugging Rick. To the surprise of all, she then takes Rick's head between her hands and kisses him.

She cannot say that she has never been furious.

When she was at high school, she caught her boyfriend having a private French class with one of the cheerleaders. She went at him, slapped him so strongly his cheek would remain red for the whole day and told him where he could stick his tickets to the rock concert he had invited her to go to.

Several years later, while she was training as an officer with Mike Royce, she had been involved in a case where a man had hit his wife so hard she had fallen in a coma. Her nerves had been all on edge, because for two weeks she had worked non-stop trying to solve several potential clues that could have led her to find the men that killed her mother and all of them had run out dry. She had been very near to the breaking point when the man made a very rude comment about her mother, and had it not been for Royce's swift movement in pulling her out of the interrogation room she would have gotten sacked from the police department.

The moment Rick told her he had been investigating her mother's killing she had felt incredibly betrayed. The only thing she had asked him not to do or even get near to was exactly the one he had dared to work on. She had been so angry with him that, despite the fact that she had enjoyed her time with him, she had told him to leave and not to try to be in contact with her. It was only when he apologized for doing it without telling her first that she allowed him to come back to the precinct.

The fight after he finally appeared, after staying the whole summer at the Hamptons with Gina, had been quite bad, too. It was not as bad as the previous fight, but she was still angry with him, because he had not even tried to call her in the whole summer. She might have called him, but she had wanted him to give the first step, especially after how hurt she had felt because he had left just before she was going to tell him what she felt for him.

The worst fight, though, was undoubtedly the one they had the day before Roy was killed. He had asked her to stop investigating about her mother, because he thought she would be killed. She had gotten so enraged at him that, even after having broken with Josh, even after realizing that she loved Rick, she told him that she never wanted to see him again, and she then asked Roy to bar him entrance in the precinct. In spite of their fight, however, he had come to her help when Roy asked him to.

However, now the anger she feels is irrational. She knows that Meredith probably does not know that Rick and her are together. That, for years after they divorced, they have had some casual trysts from time to time. That Rick now loves her, and she knows that he does not lie when he tells her that. But, still, she is furious towards Meredith for daring to kiss her boyfriend in such a blatant way and right in front of her, and is about two seconds from snapping and pulling the blonde woman's hair to get her away from her boyfriend.

Rick is fast enough, though, and puts his hands on Meredith's shoulders to keep her at arm's length.

"Meredith, what the hell was that for?" he asks her.

"Kitten, I thought we would..." she replies, apparently confused over Rick's rejection.

"That was before, Meredith," Rick says. "That was when I was single. Now I have a girlfriend, and, well, she does not like when other women attempt to kiss me."

"Who?"

Rick turns Meredith around so that she can see her.

"Oh, Detective... Beckett, right?" she asks more than says.

"Yes," she replies, gritting her teeth so that she does not attempt to verbally assault Meredith for what she has done. She may have not been up to date with the family news, but it still does not give her the right to just go and kiss Rick without asking whether he has a significant other or not.

"And you are with him?"

"Yes. Rick and I have been together for two weeks now, so, if you do not mind, please refrain from trying to thrust your tongue into Rick's throat."

"Oh..." Meredith seems to be quite speechless.

"You don't mind if we start taking your suitcases upstairs, right, Mum?" Alexis asks, a bit worried. "You are going to have to keep some things in the case, because Kate has most of the closet occupied with her clothes."

"Her clothes?" Meredith seems to be a bit incredulous of what she is hearing.

"She has been living with us for a week, and it is a long-term thing, so it was quite a good idea to let her have some of her clothes with her," Rick says as he escapes Meredith's embrace and picks two suitcases, clearly glad to get away from the blonde. He looks at her, as if apologizing for leaving her with Meredith, and rushes upstairs, followed by an equally apologetic Alexis, who is taking the rest of the suitcases.

Soon, she is face to face with the first ex-wife of the man she is in love with. There is quite the hostility between the two of them.

"You know," she says, "when I first met you, I could not actually understand what Rick saw in you when he married you, or how it was possible that your daughter was so different from you. But now, the only thing I wonder about is how it was possible that you were so callous that you slept with the director of the film you were working at while Rick was at home waiting for you."

"Oh, posh. I had to do it to get that role."

"You disgust me, Meredith. However, I still have to thank you. Because, despite of what you did, there were still good things you did. Two, in fact. You had Alexis, who is one of the best girls I have ever met, and you left Rick, which allowed me to have the chance to be with him, even if it took me three years to take it."

"What makes you think he will stay with you? Ever since he left Gina it has all been one-night-stands, maybe two or three nights. And he has always been beckoned to my bed whenever I am here."

"Way I see it, it was _his_ bed that beckoned you whenever you were here in New York, or otherwise you would not come here and be so forward with Rick, even when your daughter is in front of you." Before Meredith answered, she continued. "Of course, I can actually add that you do not actually seem to really know Rick."

"And I suppose you do?"

"When you work with someone nearly every day for three straight years, even if that someone is Richard Castle, one tends to pick up many details about that someone. For example, he loves his coffee with some milk, a spoonful of sugar and sometimes, if he is in a good mood, a bit of cinnamon. The life he presents to the newspapers and else is nothing but a facade he has built in order to protect himself and his family from further pain, especially after the way you cheated on him. The number of things I know about him and you do not would probably fill books."

"Are you trying to tell me I am not welcome in this house?" Meredith replies, angrily.

"Oh, no, by no means. Alexis likes having you here, you are her mother after all, so if all you want is to meet with her and probably speak with the others, I can tolerate you. But I would advise you against trying to have sex with Rick, because I am here, I am his girlfriend, and I do not share. Now, if you excuse me, I need to have a shower, work is quite tiring and a good shower gets me right as rain."

She goes upstairs, leaving behind her a completely flabbergasted Meredith, and allows a small smile of triumph shine in her face when she knows the blonde cannot see her.

"That was so hot," a male voice whispers from behind her when she enters the corridor at the top of the stairs, as two arms surround her waist and a pair of lips kiss her neck.

"You think so?" she replies, turning around and falling into the blue eyes of her beloved.

"Sugary-water-dream-worthy. You know, hearing you laying the law on her wasworth having her staying here at the loft with us."

"Sugary water dream?" she asks.

"You know, dreams that are both sweet and..."

"I get it."

He chuckles. "Did you say something before about having a shower? Because I have been told that I am an excellent companion while in a shower."

"Who has told you this, exactly?"

"A very hot brunette lady detective with wit as sharp as a lynx's eyesight."

"Well, then this detective might need some help with her bandages, and she would love it if a ruggedly handsome writer gave her a hand."

"Hmm. Ruggedly handsome writers, I am sure we have a few of those around here..."

She decides to shut him up with a kiss, before pulling him towards the bathroom. She really wants to share some time alone with him, and this is the perfect moment to do it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Well, there it is, chapter 23. Another night after a very hard day at work, and a very unpleasant surprise for both Kate and Rick, when Meredith arrives and expects to be able to get a few nights of completely free and no-strings-attached wild sex. Unfortunately for her, Rick now dislikes deep-fried twinkies and, even if sex with a mad person is so good, he now wants to wait for the action with Kate.

I can't wait to see "Till Death Do Us Part, especially since it seems to be the chapter where Ryan will finally marry Jenny! Will Beckett and Castle finally use the wonderful time at the wedding to admit their feelings and KISS?

Regarding the reviews... honestly, guys. This is not conductive to getting me to write more chapters! 0 reviews equals unhappy thoughts!

Next chapter will be from Rick's POV: Rick and Kate will have some problems due to Meredith's presence, but it will not be too much, and we might even get some action ;).


	24. Chapter 24: Rick's Preoccupations

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been preve

Chapter 24

Rick's Preoccupations

It is late at night, and he is already in bed, awaiting the arrival of his detective girlfriend.

It has been a hard evening for both of them. The long, hard day of work today was not rewarded when they saw that Meredith had decided to come stay at the loft. He is glad that a fight between Kate and Meredith has not happened – one thing is a 'catfight' fantasy, and another thing is seeing the woman you are in love with fight against your first ex-wife and mother of your only daughter – but the whole evening he has seen sparks of anger and maybe hatred between the two women. His mother had not been very welcoming of the woman, knowing the pain she has caused to her son and granddaughter. Both him and Alexis have done their best to play peacemaker, trying to distract both women from each other, but it was not one hundred percent successful. They still looked at each other as if they wanted to rip each other – especially Meredith: what Kate told her must have hit home for her.

The moment Kate enters the room, clad in a blue T-shirt and shorts of the same color, her hair loose and no make-up, he banishes those thoughts from his head and smiles at her. She returns the smile, but it is a bit forced, not too much: she is happy, but he knows that there is something troubling her. He stands up from the bed and approaches her.

"Kate," he says, "what's the problem?"

She bites her lip, and he caresses her cheek. She knows that seeing her bite her lip drives him mad, but he knows that this is an important situation, and does not try to do anything about it.

"It's just... it's Meredith. I know that Alexis loves her, that you two had a story together and that the last time she was here we were not even together so I do not have much reason to complain, but still... I still have a problem with her staying here at the loft."

He guides her towards the bed, so that they can sit down together. He understands – well, at least he thinks he understands – what is Kate's problem. Either she feels threatened by Meredith and the casual-sex-based relationship he has had with her ever since they divorced, or it is just that he feels uncomfortable living in the same house as her boyfriend's first ex-wife. In the former case, he is sure that she knows that he is not going to leave her just to have a screw with Meredith – maybe she still has some insecurity from his playboy behavior. In the latter, he admits that, if he were to face Tom Demming right now, he would feel mightily uncomfortable given he knows how Kate and Tom had parted ways the previous year. In either case, he knows that he has to do something.

"Katherine," he says, softly. He loves to call her just 'Kate', but 'Katherine', while he also loves it, he uses it mostly when he wants her to hear him, and understand that he is speaking sincerely. He also moves her face slowly, so that he can see her directly into her eyes. "I know it is hard for you, because it is also hard for me. I have made too many mistakes in my life, and I do not intend to make one now. If you want me to, tomorrow I will tell Meredith to leave the loft and stay at a hotel for the rest of her stay in New York. I will make sure to tell her that she cannot count on me for anything beyond my role as Alexis' father. I will do anything so that you can feel secure in the fact that I love you like I have never loved any other woman."

She smiles. This time it is a sincere smile, not forced, and he feels happy. He counts this as a victory. He is not going to let Meredith break their relationship, one that he has looked forward to for years.

"Thank you, Rick," she says, softly. He embraces her, his head in a way that allows him to smell her hair. Cherries. He loves cherries, especially when attached to this wonderful woman.

"So, do you want me to kick Meredith out of here?" he asks.

Kate laughs. Even better! A happy Kate is the best one there is right now. A happy Kate is one who is more relaxed, who smiles, who shines in the darkest night. He loves her.

"No, do not worry. I think I will be able to stand her for a couple of days. Though, if Meredith steps out of the line again in regards to you, I cannot make any promises regarding her health."

"It's a deal, then," he replies. He kisses her, first softly, then with more intensity. His mouth opens slightly, letting his tongue caress her lips, while his fingers first comb her long hair and then slowly go their way down, carefully touching her neck and then her back over her T-shirt, noticing how Kate trembles slightly at his touch.

One of her hands entangles in his hair, and the other snakes its way down the front, taking on all of his muscles in there over the shirt before sneaking below the shirt and repeating the procedure. He feels the goosebumps in his skin at the soft touch of her thin fingers as they explore his torso.

He leaves her lips, and, before she can protest, he starts to kiss her jaw, moving towards her earlobe, which he takes between his teeth, making her gasp. He chuckles a bit, and decides to taste her delicious neck, which he attacks with a passion, knowing it drives her wild. And it clearly does, because she presses his head with great strength, so that he cannot separate more than a few millimeters from her body, because she needs him so much.

He slowly lies on the bed – _their_ bed, even if it is not official – bringing her down with him, putting his arms around her slender waist, forcing her to put her hand away from his torso because he wants her to lie down on top of him, to let go of any preoccupations she may still hold within her prodigious mind.

He wants her to internalize that there is no way some other woman will be able to take him away from her. Because he is completely hers, his heart is hers, and he is sure that nothing will ever change that. So he puts everything he has into telling that to her with his body, because words are not enough right now.

She moans into his mouth when his hands stop roaming her back and go to her short-covered thighs, massaging her muscles and dangerously itching near her inner thighs, one of her body's most sensitive zones. Her back arches for a couple of seconds when one hand touches her crotch, and he is sure she is noticing the effect her mere presence – not to mention her touches, the sounds he produces and her kisses – is provoking on him.

The way she rubs against him pretty much tells him that not only has she noticed it, but that she is glorifying in it, and in the fact that it is her who has created it. Or, at least, that is what he believes is the reason.

She breaks the kiss, and he opens his eyes. He can see that Kate's green eyes are full of passion, of lust, and also of love. Love for him, which is as great – perhaps even more – than the love he feels for her.

"Liked that?" she asks in a husky voice that nearly becomes his undoing. He swallows, trying to wet his suddenly dry throat.

"Yeah," he replies. "I could do this the whole day, and not get bored."

"I am sure of that." Kate yawns a bit.

"You really need to sleep, Kate," he says.

"I know. But I am so comfy here, that I do not want to move."

"I can take care of that part."

He manages to open the bed on the side opposed to where both of them are, moving the covers down a bit, and then rolls Kate and himself to the other side, to open the covers on the other side. He has to repeat the maneuver several times, always holding her close to him, but in the end he manages to open the covers enough that they can settle inside and cover their bodies with one of the sheets.

"Sleep tight, fair detective," he whispers in her ear, as she lies on her side, and he spoons her, hugging her body to keep her close to him in a protective manner. He knows that she does not need anybody to protect her – she does that quite well on her own – but he still loves doing it.

"Good night, my writer," she replies. He grins, and kisses her nape and right shoulder. She takes his hand and kisses it, too. His hand then traces a slow way down her body, making her smile and moan in appreciation as he touches her, before it rests over her belly. He moves forward until he is touching her back with his front. And his nose is near her hair, so he can it the whole night.

She makes herself comfortable, and the two of them soon enter into a restful sleep, drawing energy from each other and dreaming on what their future may bring.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Happy New Year! I bring you chapter 24 as a present! I hope that you liked it. Kate making plans for the potential completely accidental demise of Meredith was quite fun to imagine, and the scene with the two of them giving free rein to their needs of contact with each other was quite cool.

Still 1 week until "Till Death Do Us Part" is on TV! I can't wait to see "Till Death Do Us Part", especially since it seems to be the chapter where Ryan will finally marry Jenny! Will Beckett and Castle finally use the wonderful time at the wedding to admit their feelings and KISS?

Regarding the reviews... that's better! I can't believe that, after two chapters, I finally received two reviews! (And an extra one for chapter 8)

ILoveMySeries, docvap: Thank you! And yeah, Possessive Kate rocks! Just wait until some other woman tries to go further with Castle...

Jayce Gish: yeah, it surprises me, too, that I seem to write in English much better than many whose mother language is English. I am not exactly a big fan of Josh, but I have read many stories that treat Josh very unfairly and I thought it would be better to give him a noble treatment, to show him as the nice guy he seems to be from the few interactions Castle has with him in the series, and also to give him a good way out without making him look like the bad guy.

I haven't decided yet who is going to provide the next POV. Might be Zach Dayton, might be Lanie, might be Esposito, or might be someone from the conspiracy. I hope you guys and gals say what you think.


	25. Chapter 25: Alexis' Test

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 25  
>Alexis' Test<p>

She seriously wonders how she is going to survive the next few days without going mad.

Mom came the day before, by surprise, and as soon as she saw Dad she proceeded to snog him. Given that Kate was in front of them, she was very glad that Dad managed to defuse the situation really, really fast, because Kate seemed very close to ripping Mom's hair. Though, the whole night was really, really awkward, with Mom really angry at Kate and viceversa. She had to play distraction between the two of them, to prevent a fight. At least, Dad got Kate to concentrate a bit on him, which was a boon. She knew that, if Mom fought with Kate, Mom would have been handed her ass.

However, as she comes out of the shower and starts to get dressed, she realizes that the morning is going to be worse. She has to go to high school, and there is the big, big chance that Mom will attempt again to do the "your Grampa has just died" trick just to pull her out of school and take her out shopping. She loves Mom, but, well, Mom does not take things seriously, never has – at least, as far as she knows – and she doubts that Mom will take the fact that she needs to pass her exams seriously. Mom already did it the last time, and she cannot let that happen again.

When she comes downstairs, she sees Dad and Kate are awake, already dressed with their work clothes – well, Dad wears his typical clothes – and sharing the tasks of cooking breakfast.

"Hey, good morning," she says.

"Hey, Lex," Kate says.

"Good morning, Pumpkin," Dad replies. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Well, if there are pancakes, a couple would be good."

"OK."

"Do you want some coffee, Lex?" Kate offers.

"Sure. I might need some caffeine for the day."

"Kate, please, do not convert Alexis to the Caffeine Cult, I have enough with you."

"Oh? I do have to say that, if Alexis decides to join the Cult, it will be entirely of her own volition. It is a wonderful thing, you know, to feel the caffeine course your veins, waking you up and keeping you well alert so that nothing passes by you..."

"Damn, Kate, I said no converting my little girl to your religion." Dad steps in between Kate and her. Probably an attempt to prevent Kate from giving her the coffee.

"Dad, pancakes," she says, pointing at the pan. Dad turns and rushes to pull the pancakes out. Kate takes the chance and hands her a cup of coffee.

"There, it will get you working for a couple of hours."

"Thanks!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Dad is being dramatic again. He has fallen to his knees, and his hands are on his head, as he screams upward. She rolls her eyes.

Next to her, Kate is doing exactly the same. She then stands up and pinches Dad's ear.

"AAAAHHH! APPLES! APPLES!" he screams.

"What's with all the screaming?" someone asks. Kate lets Dad go, and Mom comes downstairs, dressed in her sleeping clothes and a loose, semi-transparent, dressing gown, as she stretches and tries not to yawn.

"We were just fooling around," Dad says, rushing to pull the pancake out of the pan, which he has forgotten due to the coffee-related distraction provided by Kate and her.

"Well, would you mind fooling around at a lower tone," Mom says. "I was still sleeping."

"Sorry, Meredith," Kate says. She is not sure, but she thinks that she can detect sarcasm in her voice. Kate looks at her watch. "Damn. Rick, we should be moving if we want to avoid the traffic."

"Sure," he replies, gobbling up the pancake in his dish and washing it down with coffee.

"Where are you going?" Mom asks.

"We are going to work. Well, I am going to work, Rick here is coming for information to write in the books."

"Oh, it's not only about the books now, and you know it," Dad says, winking at Kate. Both Kate and her roll their eyes, and Kate pokes him.

"Rick," she says, threateningly. He raises his hands.

"OK, OK, I will keep the suggestions to myself." Dad kisses her on the cheek and then picks the keys to Kate's car, handing them to her. "Shall we go, then?"

"Of course, Rick," Kate replies, taking his hand with hers and dragging him before he catches up and both walk out of the loft. The last thing she can before the door closes behind them is Dad's hand engulfing Kate's, and Kate smiling at him.

Mom is quite peeved at this, though. She does not understand why. Did Mom expect that Dad would always be at her beck and call? She finishes her coffee and pancakes, and goes upstairs to get changed.

"Where are you going so fast, honey?" Mom asks.

"I have to go to high school, class starts at nine and I need to get ready."

"Oh, no, honey, do not worry about that, I will call your school and tell them you are ill, that way we can go to..."

"NO!" she shouts. Her fears are pretty real.

"What?" She can see that Mom has already picked up the phone.

"Do not call my school. I have to go today, I have exams, important exams, and I cannot afford to miss them, especially if I want to graduate this summer."

"Alexis, do not worry, I am sure they will be able to re-schedule it if I ask them..."

"They will not, they have never done that." She is getting a bit angry at her. "Remember that day two years ago when you pulled me out of school the day I had a Calculus exam? I was never able to do that exam again, and I had to work extra hard to pass the remaining exams. If you want, we can go out this afternoon." She breathes hard, in an attempt to calm down. "Look, Mom, I really love you, and I like spending my free time with you, but you cannot expect me to just throw away all the effort I have put into studying that exam just like that. Now, if you want to buying clothes with me this afternoon, I'd love to, but I really, really need to pass that exam. So, please, do not do anything that may jeopardize that."

She rushes upstairs. She knows that Mom will not take that well, but, well, it was the only thing she could do to prevent it. She takes her backpack, puts on her shoes and goes back downstairs. Mom is still there, a bit shocked from what she has told her. She gives Mom a hug and a kiss in the cheek.

"See you later, Mom," she says. She takes her keys and leaves the house, and Mom, behind. She hopes that she will not be too angry when she comes back.e

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Hi, guys! I hope that you are still interested in this story, and that you liked this chapter. My guess right now is that we are quite near from catching this time's killer, and I bet that no one will know who has done the killing, save for the only person I told.

I am going to see today if I can catch the newest Castle chapter. I loved the scene in the previous chapter, when Castle is caressing Kate's hand. Why, why, oh WHY didn't they kiss right then and there? It would have been great! (20 bucks say that they are saving that for the last chapter of the season, just for the lulz/evulz.

About the reviews... I had hoped this would improve, but it has become a constant. 2 reviews? I really hoped you guys liked the story enough to write reviews about how much you loved the chapter and all of that. For this chapter, I want to see at least 3 reviews!

CastellumKeep: Thank you! Hope that you liked this chapter!

magikash: I hope that you liked this chapter, as it was told from Alexis' POV. In a couple of chapters, I will write more Caskett chapters :). And thanks!

The next POV is going to be Zach Dayton, the victim's brother, who has his reasons to hate his sister. Hope you like it!


	26. Chapter 26: Javier's Investigation

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented

Chapter 26

Javier's Investigation

When he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he does is to kiss Lanie as a good morning gesture, a gesture she returns languidly. They come out of the bed and make breakfast, just a cup of coffee and toasts before rushing to work. There are a few things they have to check in regards to Miriam Dayton and some clues that could shine a light on the identity of the person who killed her.

They arrive together to the Precinct, and as they get out of the car, they see that Beckett and Castle have already arrived in her car. She looks a bit tired today, and he sees a way in for some good old fashioned teasing.

"Hey, Beckett. Had a nice night?" he asks, waggling his eyebrows. She just gives him one of her patented death glares.

"Lanie, inform your boyfriend that, if he wants to stay away from dealing with the traffic for two weeks, to refrain from making stupid comments about my personal life."

"Javi..." Lanie tells him.

"Jeesh, one cannot even make a joke now," he replies.

"No, it is not whatever your warped mind has concocted..." Castle says.

"You talk about warped mind?" he asks rhetorically.

"... it has more to do with the fact that Meredith unexpectedly decided to appear here in New York and stay with us rather unexpectedly."

"Meredith? The deep-fried Twinkie?"

"Yeah." Castle seems a bit disgusted over something. Either the nickname or the woman herself. Given the current situation, he would bet on the woman.

"Let me guess," Lanie says as the four of them near the elevators, "she tried to engage in physical activities with you."

"Yeah. She tried to give me a deep-tongued kiss when we arrived to the loft, and if I had not pushed her away, I think that Kate would have killed her."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Kate, I saw your face. I would have not blamed you if you decided to sucker-punch her. Not that I would actually enjoy it, though."

He opens his mouth, but upon seeing Beckett's face, he guesses it might not be a good idea to say anything of what has gone through his head. Instead, he decides to comment on the case.

"So, what is the plan for today?"

"Well, I am going to go talk with Miriam's brother, I called his workplace and they told me he would probably be at the hospital with his daughter. Even if he did not have something to do with Miriam's death, he might still shed information that can help us."

"I would wonder if he might have hired someone, but given the state his bank account was at, I seriously doubt that he would be able to pay a hired killer," he replays.

"We cannot shoot down any theory right now, not until we can demonstrate completely that it is correct or not."

"What do you want us to do?"

"I want you to check if you can find her mobile phone. It never appeared in our registry of her flat, and she did not have it on her."

"You know, maybe the killer took it because he or she thought the phone had some important information," Castle says, in his usual I-want-to-share-my-theory tone, "or, since the killer knew the victim, he or she may have taken the phone because it could incriminate them."

"We can still track the calls made or received by the phones. Wish we could actually find it out without having to get whomever has it to call us."

Castle leans towards Beckett and whispers something in her ear. She just chuckles and pokes him at the side.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"Just a bit of a joke he was making," Beckett replies.

"Oookay," he says.

"Baby, let it go. I have to get down to the morgue, and if you keep discussing, none of you will get around to call the elevator," Lanie says, and the three of them realise that, indeed, none of them have called the elevator. Castle pushes the button, and soon the elevator is at their level. First stop is the morgue, and he kisses Lanie before she gets down.

When they come up, they separate, and he soon finds Ryan, whom he tells what Beckett has asked him to do. Ryan makes a call to the court, to ask for a warrant that will give them access to Miriam Dayton's phone records. It takes an hour for the warrant to arrive, and an extra hour for the records to arrive, but when they finally have them both of them start to check the lists, in case there are several calls to the same number or some other suspicious behaviour.

"Well, look here, there are several calls to this number," Ryan says after some time.

"I think I know that number... I have read it somewhere, in a newspaper, maybe..."

"Let me check it..." Ryan writes on his computer, and after a few seconds, he raises an eyebrow. "Apparently, she liked calling at sex phone numbers."

"You kidding?"

"Nope."

"Well, it is probably not important. Besides, you really wanna call them?"

"Work for Karpowski, I guess."

Ryan chuckles and keeps reading the list, and he does the same. He reaches the end of it, but nothing in the numbers he sees jumps at him.

Though... the times at which calls are made...

"Look, bro," he says, pointing at those times, "someone has been making calls quite recently."

"Damn, that's recent," Ryan replies, "just a couple of hours ago. We have to find where that phone is."

"I think we can do this really fast. We can call the number and trace its position."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"You have a better one?"

"I'll start the tracer, you make the call."

He picks up the phone and dials the phone number. A few tones later, someone picks up.

"'Lo?" It's a man, with rough voice. He can hear the sounds of the cars going by.

"Who's there?"

"I asked first, big guy."

He looks at Ryan, who waves at him to keep up with the conversation.

"This is the NYPD. The mobile phone you carry could be important in an investigation we are carrying on, so, if you would please tell me where you are now, or were willing to come here to the 12th Precinct so that you could give us that phone, we would be grateful."

"Ain't gonna do it, mate, I found it, it's mine."

"Sir, if you do not give the mobile up, you can be held liable for stealing proof from a crime scene."

A few seconds of silence pervades in the receptor. He hopes the man at the other side of the phone has not hanged up.

"Sonny, I can tell ya that being sent to prison would be a step up from where I am right now. Though, I won't tell no if ya get me some hot coffee and a good breakfast in exchange of the phone."

Ryan gives him a piece of paper, in which he has written down the address where the phone is. He sees it is a few minutes away from where the woman was found. He might as well get to it right now.

"Sir, please, stay where you are. I will be getting where you are on a car, and will bring you here."

"Ya have found where I am? Quite the good use for those tracers, ain't it?"

"Yeah. We'll see you where you are." He hangs up the phone, and looks at his partner. "Looks like it is time to get searching for another friendly bum."

"There sure seem to be several of those around here."

"Yup." He picks the car keys and moves towards the elevator. "Wonder how Beckett is doing with the vic's bro."

.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Hello again! Finally, I have been able to put up the next chapter of this story, after... one month?

Sorry for taking so much time in posting this new chapter. And I hope that you like it. My guess is that it will take about four or five more chapters until this case is finally solved, and probably the end of the first part of my Castle story.

I keep hoping that Castle & Beckett will kiss in every chapter so far, but... dammit! :( Can't wait until it actually happens, it will be such a squee-worthy event! (As I said, 20 bucks say that they are saving that encounter for the last chapter...)

About the reviews... well, my hopes were met. The fact that it took 22 days to reach it is not as good as that, as you can imagine.

CastellumKeep: I am glad that you liked it! :)

docvap: Indeed, what does Meredith think... she is one of the few characters of Castle that have my complete, if not hatred, at least contempt.

Artemisbeloved: there you are. Hope that it was good enough.

The next POV is going to be Zach Dayton, the victim's brother, who has his reasons to hate his sister. Hope you like it!


	27. Chapter 27: Zach's Problem

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Thank you, all of you who are still reading this story. And greater thanks to Teufel1987, who has worked quite a lot in trying to correct the mistakes I made.

Chapter 27

Zach's Problem

He is sitting next to his daughter, observing how the pretty little girl sleeps after having gone through another round of the treatment that is the only thing that allows her to have an acceptable life. The worst thing about the treatment is that it is not cheap, and it is starting to become a load on the salary he and Margaret were able to draw. However, both are completely willing to do that sacrifice for their little Sophie. And, fortunately, that sacrifice will not need to be so great now, after what happened a few days ago. He wishes that it had not had to be his sister's death that allowed this, because, even if they had argued many times in the last years, he still loved his sister, or at least his sister as she was when they were kids.

His musings get interrupted when someone knocks on the door, and he stands up to open it. At the other side, he finds two people, a man and a woman, who are clearly not doctores, because they are wearing street clothes. The woman in front seems to be the one that has knocked on the door.

"Zach Dayton?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD," she says, showing a golden plaque. "This is Richard Castle, consultant." He recognizes that name from the books his wife likes to read. "We would like to ask you a few questions about your sister Miriam."

"Yeah, I figured that. Do you mind if we do this out here? I do not want to get too far away from my daughter."

"We have no problem with that," Mr Castle says. He gets out of the room, but leaves it half open, so that he can keep an ear on Sophie.

"Mr Dayton, first thing we would like to know is where you were between 6 and 8 AM two days ago."

"I was sleeping at home with my wife, and I woke up at 7:30 to prepare breakfast for my wife and Sophie."

"And I guess that your wife will be able to corroborate your alibi, am I right?"

"Yeah. Look, I understand why you might think that I could have killed my sister, but I assure you that I would not have killed her."

"Why is that?" Mr Castle asks. He seems to be genuinely interested in this, as opposed to just because of the investigation.

"Despite how much she had changed in the last few years, she was still my sister. All that work with the cut-throats at clothes designing really turned her into one of them. It did not exactly help her a lot, and eventually she started to cut off contact with me. I do not know why, she just started to call me less, stopped to ask about Sophie... she became a complete, pardon this, bitch."

"And the phone call you made to her a couple of weeks ago?"

He looks at Sophie, who still sleeps placidly.

"Do you have children?"

"I have a daughter," Mr Castle says.

"Then you know that feeling of 'I would do anything for my daughter'. My wife and I have been spending a lot of money for my daughter's medical treatment, and we are starting to be unable to pay the mortgage. I have been looking for a second job, but there are not many part-time jobs that adjust to my needs and give me enough money, so... I asked my sister if she was willing to help me with the payments, but she rebuffed me and hang up the phone."

"I am sorry," the detective replies.

"Thanks. I feel really bad about it, but at least I know that something good will come out of my sister's death. I will be able to get my daughter a better treatment that will not need her to come here so much."

"That would certainly be nice for her," Mr Castle replies.

"Is there something else you can tell us? Any detail you might have, no matter how insignificant you believe it is, could be important."

"Damned if I know," he says, shaking his head. "If I had to hazard a guess, whomever killed her, it has to be someone from her workplace. The first years she was on it, one of the things she complained the most about was the cut-throat business she had to deal with. She certainly did not pull any stops about her opinion of them."

"Daddy?" a soft voice asks. He turns around and enters the room, seeing his little Sophie finally awake.

"Hi, honey. How are you?" he asks, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Tired. Who are they?"

"They are from the police. They are trying to find who killed aunt Miriam."

"Are you gonna find her?" Sophie asks.

"Her?" the detective asks. "Why do you say that?"

"Aunt Miriam was here the other day. She was saying something about a girl from work. She did not know I was awake."

It surprises him. He did not know that Miriam had come there. Could his call have affected his sister more than what she was willing to admit? He would never know, now.

"Well, that is something we could use," Mr Castle says. "Thank you very much, young Sophie. And that is a name that really comes handy, for it means..."

"Wisdom," Sophie says, softly.

"Indeed. And a meaningful name, it is."

"Well, I think we can leave now. Please, Mr Dayton, if you remember something else that might be useful for our case, please tell us, OK?" the detective hands him a card with her name and work phone number.

"I will. Thank you."

"Take care. I hope you will heal soon, little Sophie. A smile as pretty as yours deserves to appear more," Mr Castle says. Sophie smiles a little, and Mr Castle and the detective smile at them.

"Thank you for your help, Mr Dayton."

"You are welcome," he replies, and the two leave while he remains with Sophie.

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. I am sad that no one has even commented on the happenings of the story in the two months since I last updated this story.

Though, this last two months have finally had a good thing: Castle and Beckett are finally together! :) "Always" was great at the end. I certainly did not expect it to happen that way, but it was very beautiful. Well, not exactly. The last scene was really terrifying. I do hope that Kate and Rick can get through that. And also hope they give us something interesting of the sexy kind :D.

Please, review!


	28. Chapter 28: Kevin's Interrogation

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 28

Kevin's Interrogation

He waits patiently until the bum that picked the phone – East Ernie, he calls himself – finishes tasting the coffee he has prepared, and until he also stops eating the sandwich Esposito brought from the coffee shop. Looks like Ernie has not tasted something like the sandwich – ham and cheese, recently made – in some time. He wonders if they could get the guy to have a shower, he also looks like he needs it.

When Ernie realizes that he and Esposito are waiting for him to finish, he puts down the coffee cup on the table.

"Alrigh', boys, what do ya want from me, exactly?" Ernie asks. "I've given ya the phone already, what else do ya want me for?"

"Where did you find the mobile phone, Ernie?" he asks. Wherever Ernie found the phone, it might be important.

"Found it in an alley, man. I remember your pals were there a couple of days ago. 'Twas early, 'bout nine in the mornin', and I was walkin' by there, when I heard somethin'. I looked in one of the trashcans, and I saw it there. 'Twas ringing. 'Twasn't an actual call, though, 'twas an alarm. Thought someone was mad for throwing it into the can, so I picked it and used it to make a few calls. And then ya called me and ya came to where I was."

He looks at his partner, and Esposito is also looking at him.

"Do you mind if we leave you here alone for a couple of minutes, Ernie?" Esposito says.

"Sure, no problem. I'll stay here with this sandwich 'n' coffee till you come back. Quite nice."

The two of them leave the break room, closing the door behind them.

"Doesn't something there smell fishy, bro?" Esposito asks.

"Apart from Ernie? Yeah," he answers. "I mean, who the hell puts an alarm clock for 9 in the morning? It makes no sense at all. Especially since the vic should have been at work at 8 AM."

"Well, 9 AM was the hour she dropped out of the window. Maybe it has something to do with that."

"You think the killer could have used the phone to alibi out? Lanie said that the vic would have died around 7."

"Yeah, but... don't know, it doesn't make much sense. I'll give a call to the guys at Electronics, they should be about to start with the phone." Esposito grabs his phone and calls the lab. "Guys? How far are you with the phone? No, no, it's not that, in fact I hoped you guys had not dismantled it. Would you mind checking the alarms on the phone? Could be important." Esposito waits for a minute, and then he smiles. "Thanks, guys. Have fun with those things down there." Esposito hangs up. "Yeah, the alarm is still on at 9 AM."

"Well, that's another thing to check," he replies, writing on the whiteboard about the new discovery. "Still a big mystery, though. Why would she have her phone's alarm at 9 when she had to be at work at 8?"

"I'd bet it was the killer. The vic had no use for the 9 AM alarm, so it was probably the killer."

"Yeah, alibi. But, how do you alibi out by using _an alarm clock_?"

"No idea. But it must be on the board," Esposito says, pointing at the whiteboard.

The two of them stand in front of the board for a couple of minutes, trying to see the murder as Beckett (and Castle) does, finding all the details and trying to put them together as if it were a puzzle. It was not easy by anyone's standards, but they still did it, mostly because they had no idea of how to proceed.

"You know," Esposito suddenly said, "I think I have something."

"Do tell, Esposito," someone says.

"Hey, Beckett," he replies, seeing that his boss and her partner. "How did it go with the brother?"

"We think the killer could be a woman. The victim visited her niece a couple of days before her death. Do not know the reasons, but I'd say that she might have felt bad about her discussion with her brother. What do you have?"

"We found the phone, or rather, the friendly bum East Ernie did. It was in a trashcan near the victim's flat's window. It had the alarm on for 9 AM, still has it. I think I know how the killer got around to kill the victim and alibi out."

"I'm listening," Beckett replies with a smile. Castle stands near them, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, think about it. Everything we have worked with, it has been because we thought the killer was the one that pushed the victim's body out of the window at 9 AM two days ago. Lanie did say that Miriam Dayton died around 7 AM. Though, those two extra hours make no sense. It might have been faster if he or she had left the crime scene, and the body to rot. Considering how the victim lived, the body may have not even been discovered until several days after her death. Maybe the killer went a bit mad, and chose to attempt to hide it as a robbery or something like that, don't know.

"Anyway, I think that, simply, the alarm on the mobile was only there to help provide an alibi for the killer. Remember the thread we found in there?"

"Yes," he answers. He is starting to understand what Esposito is talking about, and is having an inkling of the idea he is showing. Esposito turns the whiteboard around, to use the other side without disturbing the murder board.

"Well, you know how mobiles vibrate? I think that what happened was that the killer shot the victim," Esposito draws some stick figures on the board, "and then he or she went a bit mad after realizing what he or she had done, so the killer moves the body near the window," Esposito continues drawing stick figures, with arrows to illustrate his suggestion, "grabs the victim's mobile phone, sets the alarm for 9 AM, takes some thread, ties it around the phone, somewhat loose, but not too much, ties the other side to the body, puts the phone on the corbel so that, the moment it vibrates, it pulls on the thread. The body is then put on the window sill, carefully balanced so that it does not fall down and somewhat covered by the curtains to prevent it from being seen from the street. The killer leaves, closing the door when coming out, and goes on with his or her normal life, thus trying to get an alibi. And, when 9 AM strikes, the phone vibrates, falls down the sill, and the pull is enough to unbalance Miriam's body, which falls on the street while the mobile phone falls into a nearby trashcan, which is found by Ernie the following day."

Beckett nods. "A great theory, and it sounds good. Though, I have one question: how did you guys miss something that was then found by a bum?"

His grin freezes. He had not thought about that. He looks at Esposito, and he has his 'Oh, crap' look. They have certainly slipped up. Damn.

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. Hopefully, this time more people will comment on this story. Please, do! I'm happier when you comment!


	29. Chapter 29: Martha's Support

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 29

Martha's Support

When the door opens, she comes downstairs from her room, and smile when seeing Richard taking Kate's jacket off her, and the detective smiling at him, while he puts the jacket in the wardrobe. She decides to speak, so that she does not catch them on an intimate situation.

"Hello, dears," she says, startling Richard and making Kate turn towards the stairs.

"Hi, Martha," Kate replies.

"Mother, please, would you mind _not_ doing that?" Richard asks.

"Oh, dear, someone has to keep on your toes."

"Kate does it well enough on her own, thank you."

"Ah, a pity then. I will have to content myself with other roles in your life," she says, hugging her son and his girlfriend. "How did your day go, then?"

"Could have been better. We met the victim's brother, poor guy was swamped. I just hope that he and his family can get a good break now. They certainly deserve it."

"At least, we think we have found how the victim was thrown to the street, although the problem is that now we have to go through everything we have again," Kate says.

"Oh, no, no, no, no more talking about work. You two are supposed to use this time to relax, not to keep brainstorming about your work," she says. Richard smiles, and grabs Kate a bit tighter to him.

"She is right, Kate. So, do you want to have something special for dinner? Pasta? Grilled cheese sandwich? Three course meal from Alain Ducasse?"

Kate rolls her eyes, but she can tell she is amused. "I think some salad and sandwiches will be good enough, Rick."

"Nice. Let me get changed into something else and you can start opening a wine bottle. Is that OK, Kate?" he asks.

Kate arches an eyebrow. "You expect me not to do anything to help you? This dinner is for all of us, you know."

"I do. Though, this gives you a bit of more time to relax, since you are the one who actually works on this, while I am just the consultant. Enjoy!" Richard replies, retreating into his (rather, his and Kate's) room before Kate can react. And before Kate can follow him, she chooses to gently grab the detective by the arm.

"He is right, Kate. Come, let's have a glass of wine. You certainly deserve it," she says, leading the detective towards the wine fridge, picking one bottle out of the many in there.

"It's not that I am not thankful, Martha. Heaven knows how much Rick has done for me in these last weeks. I just want to do more around here. It feels like I am... freeloading, sometimes," Kate replies as she picks three cups – one for herself, another for her, the last one for Richard.

She chuckles, looking for the corkscrew. She certainly cannot avoid it.

"Oh, Kate, that, probably, is the thing you should worry the least while you are here. Richard certainly loves to take care of you, and I very much doubt he even thinks about it at all. I guess that you could easily convince him to allow you to do more."

Kate looks at her for a second, and then smiles.

"You know, I might as well do that. And, since Rick is not here, I might as well start preparing things around so that we can start making dinner."

"That's my girl," she replies, pouring wine on the three cups, and then toasting with Kate. "Remember, though, to remain careful about your injuries. After all, you do not want to push the end of your recovery, won't you?"

Kate just smiles, and she can notice a small blush on the young woman's cheeks as she stands up and goes to the open kitchen, picking the sliced bread for the sandwiches, and then opening the fridge to take a lettuce and cheese.

She almost has a laugh when Rick comes out of his (and Kate's) room and rushes to the kitchen, apparently to stop her, but then Kate hits him with a spatula and says something she is too far away to understand, and she sees her son back down and kiss Kate, before starting to help in the kitchen.

She basks in the happiness of pointing out the young woman towards a new step for her to take in her efforts to recover as much of her old life as possible. As well as in the taste of the wine she is drinking. It is certainly excellent.

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. Hopefully, this time more people will comment on this story. Please, do! I'm happier when you comment!


	30. Chapter 30: Jenny's Morning

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 30

Jenny's Morning

She opens her eyes, and stretches in the soft linens that cover their bed, as she smells the coffee her boyfriend is preparing on their coffee maker. She decides to jump out of the bed before he tries to bring her breakfast in bed. She still remembers what happened the last time. Coffee stains are really hard to clean.

So she gets out of the bed, puts on something (his shirt from the previous night, hmm) and walks to the kitchen, where she finds him busy with making toast and coffee. When she is sure he is not going to drop anything, she hugs him from the back.

"Good morning, Kev," she says into his ear, kissing him behind it. He slowly turns around into her embrace and passionately kisses her.

"Good morning, Jen," he replies, smiling. She could lose herself into his eyes.

"One less day until we are married, Kevin. Can't wait for it."

"Wish we could get married tomorrow, then we would really be Kevin and Jenny Ryan."

She looks at him, as if measuring him. "Thought we had agreed on O'Malley-Ryan for me."

"You can call yourself whatever you want as long as you add 'Kevin Ryan's Wife' somewhere in there," Kevin replies, softly attacking her neck. She has to bite her lip to avoid moaning.

"Any chance we can both skip work and get back to bed?" she asks him.

"Think not. Gates isn't exactly one to let us free time in the middle of a case. Though, when we get out of it, I'll take you to our restaurant and we'll do whatever you want the entire night," he replies.

"A pity, that. But I know you have to catch the bad guy. Or gal. So, maybe it's better if we do breakfast and then we could... you know... share the shower."

"Saving water and time, of course. C'mon, sit down, or we'll get cold coffee and toast."

"Sure," she replies with a smile. He takes the coffee pot and the dish with the toasts, and she takes her seat, beside which there is already her favorite magazine, while Kevin has his newspaper as well.

"Here you are, honey. Two toasts, coffee with milk and one sugar, butter, magazine... that's everything, right?"

"Right." She kisses him again. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You said yes."

She laughs, and he laughs with her as he sits down and sips his coffee.

Their breakfast, although somewhat short, is probably one of the best moments they have, because they can speak without a problem, and it always allows them to say 'see you later' with a smile and a kiss.

She reads the magazine, he reads the newspaper, but they still keep talking. Their jobs, their upcoming wedding, the preparations... they talk about many things as they have breakfast and read.

Both of them finish their breakfast, and Kevin starts to put the dishes and cups on the dishwasher, while she puts everything else in its place.

When she turns around from the fridge, ready to pull Kevin towards the shower, he is looking at her magazine. She had left it open at a report about the fashion show that had taken place yesterday, one that had designs from the woman that was recently killed. Apparently, they were doing that part in the woman's honor.

"What's the matter, Kev?" she asks, wondering what is going on.

"I think I have seen these before, but I don't remember when," he replies, closing his eyes like he does whenever he wants to concentrate.

"What, the Novel Models Studios' clothes?"

"Yes, those. I swear I know them, or something similar. Where, where, where..."

"I know they were designed by that woman that was killed this week. Isn't she the one you are working on?" she says, remembering his commenting on that last night.

He snaps his fingers and opens his eyes.

"That's it!" Kevin exclaims, with a smile. "I know who did it!"

He then surprises her by kissing her.

"Thank you, honey, thanks to you I've got the case wide open."

The only thing she can do is to blink as Kevin rushes into their bedroom and picks a suit and a tie, putting them on really fast.

"We'll have to do a rain-check on the shower, but I swear that I'll make it up to you tonight, OK?"

"Eh, sure," she replies, a bit overwhelmed. He kisses her again, and takes the magazine.

"Sorry, I need this, but I'll bring it back later. See you," he says, rushing and opening his phone.

The last thing she hears is "Beckett? I know who killed our vic..."

The door closes, and she remains slightly unable to understand what just happened.

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. And coming right a couple of days after the start of the new season! I have to say that Stana Katic was super-hot just wearing that shirt. I'll have to use it for the end of this fic, or for the continuation! Hopefully, this time more people will comment on this story. Please, do! I'm happier when you comment!

Next chapter will be from the killer's POV!


	31. Chapter 31: The Killer's Rush

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 31

The Killer's Rush

_I finally arrive home after several hours at work. It is quite hot, so I get out of my clothes and enter the shower, intent on getting the sweat and smell out of my body. Water's cool, so that is an extra boon._

_After getting out of the shower and drying off with a towel, I put on some shorts, a t-shirt and sandals and I get to the fridge and pick a soda. I don't feel up to turning the air conditioning on, it is not so hot, so I just open a few windows and let air run through. Maybe I could get out tomorrow, check if there is something interesting in the shops that I can buy._

_I see in the news a mention about Miriam, and about the fashion show in her honor. Idiots. They don't know that Miriam had no honor. She was a bitch. Hope she rots in hell. _

_Didn't want to kill her, though. That was a complete accident._

_It had been easy to sneak into the building. Used the back door to avoid being seen by the super. This was something I did not want to be seen doing. After all, I was there only to blackmail her. If the bosses had actually known the truth, Miriam would surely get kicked out of her job. Of course, that was if the bosses had a brain._

_Of course, the bitch did not see it that way. We spent like half an hour shouting at each other. I knew that the neighbors would not hear thanks to the isolating work she had done on the floor, the ceiling and the walls._

_Then, all of a sudden, she goes to the drawers, pulls out a gun and starts to shout at me and tell me to leave. I panicked, and tried to get her to drop the weapon, but she wouldn't listen, so I jumped on her and tried to take the gun from her._

_You can imagine the result._

_Next thing I remember, she is on the floor, bleeding out, and the gun is on my hand. I stand there for a few minutes, without knowing what to do, only knowing that, if I get caught, then I will be screwed._

_Then I see her mobile phone, and realize I might still be able to get out of this._

_I pick the phone and change it so that the alarm sounds at 9. I also start hoisting her body towards the nearest window. I then pick some thread and cut it with a pair of scissors._

_Takes me a few minutes to tie the phone correctly. Takes me half an hour to put the body on the sill. Another ten minutes to tie everything, and take everything that may implicate me in this. I grab a plastic bag and put the scissors, the gun and a few more things in it, and then turn off all lights and sneak out of the building the same way I came in._

_The bag gets shoved into a container three blocks away._

_I finally arrive home and have a good, long shower, while I try to put the images away. It was not very successful, but at least I could hide things away from everyone._

_The encounter with the policemen is expected, and fortunately I manage to keep them in the dark about what I did. They just accept my answers and leave._

_Though, I do not really hope I'll be able to eternally remain in the dark. However, I hid all clues about it that could be found, so I wonder how they would find out._

_Hopefully, this will end up being a cold case, and I'll manage to get by. Might even manage to have it better, now that she's dead._

_Of course, that does nothing for my own piece of mind. Every night since then, I awake to the moment of her death. It's always the gunshot, then seeing her bleed on the ground as she bleeds._

_I feel a bit sleepy as the time passes, and stay on the couch. Will have to get up soon, but right now it is so comfy..._

_I awake a few minutes later, to the sound of someone knocking strongly on the door._

"_NYPD! Open the door!" a man shouts._

_Damn. They found me? How? No time to answer that, though. I have to get out of here. I take my most comfortable shoes and get out of my house through the window. And right on time, because then I hear the door being kicked down, and people start rushing into my house._

_I do my run down the emergency stairs, hoping I'll be able to outrun them. I don't hold too much hope to that, but I still can try, can I?_

_However, as soon as I put a foot on the ground, I notice that I am not alone._

_There is a couple next to me._

_The man, grinning, grabs me before I can react, and the woman pulls out a set of handcuffs, which she starts to put around my wrists._

"_Paula Xanders, you are arrested for the murder of Miriam Dayton. You have the right to remain silent. A__nything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights I have just read to you?"_

_I nod, and the woman pushes me towards a police car parked near the back-alley towards which the emergency stairs point to._

_The man is still grinning. I can see it as I sit on the car's backseat. The couple – is he actually a cop? He certainly does not look like one, he isn't wearing anything remotely looking like an uniform – is speaking, and apparently waiting._

_For whom, I learn soon. It is the two detectives that spoke with me when they came to the studio. They must have been the ones that called to the door, because they are wearing bullet-proof vests. Probably thought I would shoot at them._

_As if. I've only used a gun once, and it was a complete accident._

_They speak for a couple of minutes, and the couple gets in the car, while the other two detectives leave to take their own car._

_The ride towards the precinct is silent, until the man speaks._

"_See? It worked."_

"_Yes, it worked," the woman replies, with a slightly exasperated tone._

"_Say it," he says, giddily._

_The woman groans._

"_Yes, Castle, you were right, we easily captured the suspect by waiting next to the emergency stairs."_

_The man – Castle? Like the writer? – grins, and remains on his seat, although by the way his arm is moving, his hand seems to be getting nearer to the woman. Her arm is also moving, and on the mirror, she can see the ghost of a smile in her face._

_Who cares, though? They've caught me. I'm getting sent to prison._

_It's the end for me._

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. And coming right before Season 4's fourth chapter! That first peek in the chapter was amazing: between Kate "forgetting" her bathing suit and the guy that ends up dead in Castle's pool at the Hamptons, it is going to be really interesting to see it! I still have to write down how Kate's first scene of the season will appear in this story. Hopefully, this time people will comment on this story. Please, do! I'm happier when you comment!

Next chapter will be from Gates' POV!


	32. Chapter 32: Victoria's Job

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Chapter 32

Victoria's Job

She watches as her star homicide detective and her clearly non-detective partner sit down in front of the suspect and her lawyer. They start talking with the woman, and she is clearly a bit off-guard: she can also see that the suspect feels defeated, almost as if she already knows she is not going to get out of this. As the two argue with the suspect and show her the proof they have already found, it is obvious that the suspect's will is crashing, and before long, a last barrage by Detective Beckett finally makes the suspect drop and confess before her lawyer can say anything.

It was an accident, she says, crying. She had never intended to do it, she just wanted to tell Miriam Dayton that she was going to tell her bosses about her robbing her ideas, and that she'd better accept it. Everything then turned confuse for her. Then, yes, she set up everything so that it seemed to be like the was dropped to the street while she was at work.

She then turns to Detective Ryan, who was apparently the one to solve the case.

"How did you know she was guilty, Detective?"

He shows her something. It's a fashion magazine.

She looks at Ryan, as if wondering whether he is joking with her.

"My fiancee was reading this mag this morning, and I noticed that these clothes," he says, showing one of the pages, "looked a lot like something I had seen before, and I realized it was something Miss Xanders here was drawing when we arrived to the fashion studio. That, combined with our reconstruction of the way the victim was found, helped us to realize about the possible motive. We finally caught her going from her home to the victims' around 5:30, and then running the other way at 7. As for the weapon, we have her dropping a large bag, and, fortunately, the cleaning company was going to do the cleaning there just today, so the officers found the bag with the gun on time. It is on the lab, they are comparing prints, but apparently there are two sets, which could agree with our suspect's confession."

She raises an eyebrow. This was certainly not rehearsed. Almost like trying to throw all the information he has in as little time as possible, yet tripping over one every three words. Well, at least Ryan has told her everything she needed to know.

"Thank you, Detective. Now, get on with the paperwork. When you finish it..." she thinks. She knows that the detectives do not exactly like her, although they might respect her. Perhaps she can do something to help her image. "If you finish it before you leave, you can take a free day tomorrow."

Ryan and Esposito seem surprised, but then smile. "Thank you, sir," Esposito says, all but running out of the observation room to fulfill the paperwork. Ryan leaves a bit more reposed, but content. She lets them go, concentrated on the still ongoing interrogation at the other side of the one-sided mirror.

Rather, the already finished interrogation. Xanders is being handcuffed now, while her lawyer starts to claim that he plans to place a lawsuit for mistreatment of his client and to ask for her immediate release based on the lack of proof. Idiot. They have more than enough to send Xanders to prison, although given the entire situation, she will probably get second degree murder with some extenuating circumstances. Will probably avoid life, but she will certainly get more than twenty-five years.

She decides to come out of observation in order to meet with Beckett. She does have to have a few words with her senior detective about her ignoring medical orders to stay put.

"Detective Beckett?"

"Sir?"

"Good job. I'm glad that you were able to make the suspect confess so fast. It does help with solving cases as fast as possible. Though, I have to wonder: why did you disobey medical orders and went to the arrest of the suspect?"

"Erm, that's my fault, Captain," Castle says, raising his hand. "I suggested that we went and gave a hand, because normally, when you try to arrest someone at their house, they try to run away down the emergency stairs, and I thought that maybe we could catch her while she tried that. No one had to do any kind of physical effort. Tops, you might consider my stopping Miss Sanders before she started to run as physical effort."

"Enough, Mr Castle. I understand what you are trying to do. I'd rather that Miss Beckett explain me why she went against medical orders."

"It is as Castle says. Either way, I am sure he would not have allowed me to do much. In fact, I only had to put the cuffs on her."

She looks at them, but it seems that they are actually sincere. Might as well relent and let them go.

"Very well. I don't exactly believe you, but I have no other choice in accepting what you say. However, this better not happen again, or I'll make sure Detective Beckett has no choice but to obey her doctor. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," the detective says.

"Good. Now, if you finish your paperwork soon, you have tomorrow free. There are enough detective teams around, and hopefully we won't need you here."

"Thank you, Sir," Beckett says, clearly surprised by the generous offer before leaving to do everything as fast as possible. Castle doesn't even hide his glee as he rushes to his accustomary seat besides Beckett's table, and once more helping her with the paperwork.

Rolling her eyes, she leaves for her own office. Well, at least that should help to diminish the undercurrent of distrust she had felt ever since she arrived to the 12th Precinct.

She hopes.

**A/N**: Well, that's a new chapter. And this is the last episode before the epilogue! Also, can't wait to see the new Castle chapter, because I wonder how the whole Castle-is-accused-of-murder thing will end up, both in terms of his work and his relationship with Beckett. Hopefully, this time people will comment on this story. Please, do! I'm happier when you comment!

The epilogue will be divided in two parts: the first part will be from Kate's POV, and the second part from Rick's POV. Enjoy!


	33. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: wish I owned Castle. Or Harry Potter. Or El Internado. Or El Barco. That way, some of the most idiotic behaviors/behaviours would have been prevented.

Epilogue

Their Reward

She stands on his bathroom, her hands on the counter. The other person in the room is the man she loves. And both of them are looking at the bandages that cover the great injury from her being shot.

"The doctor said we could pull the bandages now," he says. "Are you up to doing it?"

"Yes," she whispers. However, in the silence of the bathroom, it is as noisy as a shout.

He smiles, and kisses her on the base of the neck. She arches slightly, to give him a bit more space to kiss her. Which he does again, before starting to pull the bandages.

It is not a short process. He has to be careful with it, lest the injury not be completely healed. She lets him do it, because, although both of them know she can do it on her own, it is far better if he helps, for it reduces the tension her injury might undergo.

Besides, he likes doing it. The fact that it allows him to caress her soft skin as it becomes revealed is a big, big bonus. She also enjoys that part, too.

It takes some time, but after a few minutes, the bandages have been pulled out, and the injury is in the air. Or rather, the scar. Right between her breasts, an ugly black color. She gingerly touches it, trying not to come down from remembering the moment she was shot. The moment she nearly died.

The moment she nearly left him behind.

He puts his hand over hers. She's now naked from the waist up, but he does not care about it – well, he does like the view, because she is magnificently beautiful. No, right now, he only cares about her scars. Not only the one she is covering with her hand, but the ones that have been left in her mind. By those who had her mother killed. By her father's fall into alcoholism, and the time she spent working to get him back. By Jack Coonan, the man who shot at Johanna Beckett. By Scott Dunn, who tried to kill her several times, first with a bomb, then with a gun. By Lockwood, who killed Captain Montgomery while he protected her. By the unknown sniper who shot her.

He promises to himself that he is going to do everything in his hand to help those scars heal.

He sees a tear coming down her left eye, and carefully wipes it with his left thumb.

"What's the matter, Kate?"

"Nothing."

"I know you, and I know you don't cry for 'nothing'. Please, tell me."

She smiles a bit, but she drops it soon, because it feels too forced.

"It's just... it's all coming down on me now. I've tried to keep it out of my mind, but it is difficult. And this scar... it makes me feel like I am weak, and I hate that."

"You know what it tells me, Kate? It tells me you are strong. You have survived things that would kill most everyone. You give other people the closure you deserve. You put the ones that kill others into prison. And, despite all that you have gone through, you are still one of the most intelligent, beautiful, funny, great people I've ever met in my entire life. And I love you so much, that maybe it should be illegal."

She smiles, now for real. She then moves her other hand and threads her fingers through his hair, leaning her head to the side to freely attach his mouth to her neck. However, he does not take advantage of this: he just laces his fingers through hers over the scar, and hugs her tighter.

"This scar you have here, it reminds me of one of the worst moments in my life. And yet, it led to one of the best moments in my life. You, telling me that you loved me."

"I love you, so much," she replies, turning her head to kiss him on the cheek.

"I know."

He then kisses her again on the base of the neck, right on her pulse, making her shudder with desire. She has not had any real 'action' in weeks: after she broke up with Josh the best thing was her lonely nights where she brought herself to a climax, using her fingers and imagining they were Rick's, and after her shooting, both of them had decided to hold off anything sexual, just in case it might reopen her injuries. Not that they had not tried to have some fun during the nights, when they slept together, but mostly they had restricted themselves to kissing, cuddling and talking.

However, now her injury is healed, and, although it goes unspoken, it is pretty clear that both of them want this, and that if they don't stop it, they might not even reach the bed. Of course, that's a big _if_. One way or the other, both of them have wanted this for nearly three years, ever since they met during Derrick Storm's last book launch.

While he keeps kissing her neck, his left hand starts to caress her breasts, making the nipples stand out, while his right hand starts to drift down her body, dipping for a second in her navel before reaching under her garments, between her legs, finding her already wet in arousal and need for him.

However, she does not remain without answering to his ministrations, for the hand that has been covering her scar has gone now to his body, pulling his shirt until his front is pretty much next to her back. She moans as she feels not only what his hands are doing to her, but also at the feeling of him, hard, behind her. She grabs him, and she can feel his moan against her skin, and his fingers enter in her, driving her into a greater frenzy, a greater need of feeling him inside like she has never felt.

She turns around and kisses him with fervor, incredibly aroused by what his fingers and his mouth have awakened in her, while grabbing his shirt and ripping it. The tinkle of several buttons goes unnoticed, as she starts to pull down his pants and he starts to do the same with hers, while he drives her out of the bathroom and towards the large bed that occupies the bedroom.

After ridding her of her pants, he picks her up, bridal style, but she hardly notices, because the raw feelings in her have blinded her to anything that is not him, his hands, his mouth, his neck that she is now biting into to hold the cry that threatens to escape her mouth, because if that happens then she will come undone before she wants.

He puts her over the open bed with care and leans over her to give her another strong, wet kiss before starting to kiss his way down. She feels warm when he kisses her scar, and writhes with desire when his tongue licks her nipple. When his mouth reaches her navel, her hips twitch strongly, moving to feel his mouth on her while her hands fist in the deliciously sinful sheets that cover his bed.

And when he draws off her underwear, the last piece of clothes that separates her from complete nakedness, he separates her legs and puts his mouth on her.

Everything goes completely white.

She is barely conscious of her hands flying to handle his hair to hold him where he is right now, of her body arcing in the air to give him as much access as possible, of her mouth kept open to let air enter her lungs while short moans escape her. She can only feel his tongue licking her, his fingers entering her and curling, it's becoming too much, too much for her to handle, too much to keep the dams closed.

With a stifled shout, she breaks apart into pieces, opens the gates, frees herself from her earthly bonds, or at least that was it seems to be for her.

It takes some time for her to recover from the great high he has sent her into, and it is to him kissing her. She finally opens her eyes, and can see his blue eyes with happiness and mirth, and then the rest of his beautiful face.

"God... _Rick_... that was... that was so... good..."

"You kind of needed it, didn't you?" he replies, grinning.

She half-heartedly slaps him on the arm, and then she threads her fingers into his hair and pulls him down for another kiss, this time a long, languid one, to give him a feeling of how she feels now, of her need for him, for a night with him without interruptions of any kind, so that both finally get their reward for four years of waiting, of shots, of explosions, of near-deaths.

"I need you inside me, Rick," she whispers into his ear, while she takes him into her hand. She feels him very hard already.

"It'll be my pleasure to give you what you want, my lady," he replies, holding back a moan at her touch.

"Well, I don't want to wait for you to actually _give_ me anything, Richard Castle," she says, now getting back into the game, and deciding that now the game is going to be played the way she wants. She flips him, and suddenly she is the one over the other, she is the one that has the power.

After first enjoying the feeling of being up in the bed – and the feeling of something in him being up as well – she puts her hands all over his naked torso, having fun and arousing herself at the way his muscles flex at the touch of her fingers, as she teases him with her hands.

"You do some great effort to keep yourself in shape, Mr Castle."

"Anything to keep my lady interested in me," he replies, straining to keep himself from either jumping his girlfriend or come before they finally consummate.

"It is quite interesting, yes," she says, distractedly, as she leans forward and kisses his chest. "I quite like it, Mr Castle." She keeps kissing him, down his chest, trying to reciprocate on the one thing he has done before for her. He can't help but jerk when he feels her mouth around him, her tongue licking, her teeth pulling.

One of his hands goes to her hair, trying to find her rhythm to move with her. The other grasps at the sheets, whitens as blood rushes south even faster than before, his breath quickens, because he has dreamed about this for a lot of time, yet he had never, in any of them, that this, this, would actually happen, her tongue licking at all his length, her lips taking him in.

"Kate, Kate, Kate," he manages to let out, unable to say an actual word other than her name, which remains on the tip of his tongue, on the surface of his mind.

And then he comes.

The next five minutes are about trying to recover himself from the mix of heaven and hell that she has put him through. The things she can do with her mouth are nothing short of awesome. And, from what he can see right now, in the darkness of his – more like _their_ – bedroom, her mouth is now sporting a very smug smile as she looks at him.

"You kind of needed it, did you?" she asks, clearly wanting to needle him.

"Hell, yeah," he replies, still gasping for air. That, however, does not prevent him from reaching out to her and hug her very tight. "It's amazing. You are amazing. And you were right?"

"About what?"

"About how I didn't know how good we would be together. Now I know."

She chuckles. It feels nice to her that he reminds their first meeting so clearly. She thought then that he was an annoying man with a five-year-old's attention span. He still has some of that, but he has changed a bit since then, and now he is _her_ annoying man with a twelve-year-old's attention span. The _her_ is what would have amazed her old self, but now it fills her with warmth.

"I'm glad you think that."

"Of course you do. After all, if I didn't say that, it would be because we would not be together."

"True."

She then snuggles into him, placing a soft, butterfly kiss on his neck, before he carefully turns around and moves her so that both of them have their heads on the pillow. They are near, almost touching nose with nose, and they can feel each others' breath.

"I could stare at you the entire day," he says, a contented smile in his lips.

"I've told you that's creepy," she replies.

"Don't care. You are too good looking to not look at."

"Glad you think that. Though, I think that there are better things for you to do."

"Such as?"

"Giving me what I want."

"Do not worry. In a couple of minutes, I'll be able to give you anything."

"Who says anything about a couple of minutes?" she says, caressing him and smirking as she feels him growing again. "More like a couple of seconds, at this rhythm."

"You witch," he replies, grinning. "It's obviously your magical arts that allow you to exercise such control over my bodily functions."

"I don't hear you complaining," she sing-songs, and then she shrieks when he grabs her wrists and puts them over her head with one hand, while the other opens her legs and explores her. She gasps when his fingers enter her once more, and this time is much, much stronger than before.

"You forget your place, Miss Beckett," he growls, and it leaves her trembling in desire. All of her life, ever since her mother died, she has been in control. She has hated not having control over herself.

However, now, she does not mind not having control. She actually likes it. It actually excites her. Because, right now, she wants him to take control. She wants him to take her and make her forget everything.

"Then, teach it to me, Mister Castle," she replies, huskily.

"My pleasure," he says, taking her lips with his and, at the same time, entering her, swallowing her scream of pleasure at finally getting what she wanted.

~~~~Castle~~~~Beckett~~~~Castle~~~~Beckett~~~~

He opens his eyes, only to see that the bed is empty, save for him.

He stands up, fearful. Fearful that everything that happened was just a dream, and that now the cold, hard truth that Kate had not actually slept with him, that she had not been living with him and his family, that she had not told him that she loved him, would actually reveal itself.

The mere idea is painful, because it is his biggest dream.

However, a sniff of something enters his nose, and it is a smell he knows well. It is _her_ smell. Cherries, coffee and that natural, unmistakeable, impossible-to-describe thing that is her. Cherries in the pillow. Coffee in the sheets. Herself in the air.

That tells him that, perhaps, it might not have been a dream, that it might be real, and he is hopeful, but reserves his joy yet, for he needs more proof before he can commit himself to an actual belief.

He does not have to wait much, because soon the door opens, and through it enters what might be the most heavenly image he has laid eyes on.

It is Kate Beckett, but it's a Kate Beckett he has never seen, and it is one Kate he wants to see many, many more times.

Her hair is tousled from a night of heavy, intense sex. Her eyes are a bit tired, but still shiny and smoky, quite much like she had them right that night. She is only wearing a shirt, one of his shirts, which he now knows will never be able to put on again, because he will always think of it as Kate's morning after's clothes. The shirt is not buttoned the whole way, and is a bit see-through, and that adds a lot to her attractiveness right now. Her legs, so long under the shirt, are completely bare, and, hell, he wants to kiss them all the way from her toes to her hips.

Oh, wait, she is carrying two coffee cups with her. Will she be interested in breakfast in bed, then post-breakfast-in-bed-sex? The idea is quite interesting. He isn't sure that she will actually want to do it, but, well, he can dream, can he?

"Good morning, Rick," she says, handing him the red cup, while she keeps the blue one.

"Good morning, sexy," he replies with a grin.

"Hmm, that sentence does make more sense. Good morning, sexy yourself," she says. He takes a sip of the coffee, and is not surprised to taste his own brand of coffee.

"Glad to hear that I am as sexy as you."

"Don't be so sure of that." She winks at him, sitting on the bed in front of him as she sips a bit from her cup.

"Well, I am sure that you are the sexiest person in the world, so it would be difficult for me to be that sure of my own attractiveness when compared to yours."

"Good save."

Both of them keep drinking their coffee, savoring this moment alone with their coffee. They have been sharing a coffee for four years now, and now they are finally sharing more than just that. A house, for starters, and it is increasingly likely that it might become a fixed feature. A relation, stronger thanks to their three years of well-tested friendship through work and private life. A job, that although may have come out of the strangest of situations, has nonetheless tied them together as few things can.

All in all, they are in love. And, suddenly, he has an image of himself waiting, and of her wearing a white dress as she walks towards him, next to her father, who then takes her hands and placing them on his. The vision vanishes as suddenly as it has come, but it still makes him smile widely: while it might still be some time until that happens, he is sure that it will, and that Katherine Beckett will eventually become his third – and last – wife.

She sees his smile, and smiles herself. She then calmly puts her cup – now empty – on the small table at the side of the bed.

"You know, I think I am ready for round two," she says, winking at him. He leaves his cup on the table, and his hands start to caress her from her cheeks down to the shirt she is wearing.

"Round two? I'd say it was more like round four, or five, I've lost count," he replies, unbuttoning the shirt and baring her breasts.

"Whichever." She moans at his touch of her body, and her hands start exploring on her own. "It can be whatever you like."

He pulls her towards him, and she soon moves the sheets to have access to all of him. It is as if she can't have enough of him. Well, it is not that bad. In fact it is great. Might as well say that she never, ever, ever, wants to be separated from him.

And then, as he lays her down on the bed and starts to ravage her neck, and his hands start to explore her further, as she writhes under his touch and responds as best as she can, she can't help but hope that every day in her life will include him forever.

**A/N**: Well, that's it: As She Lays Down's last chapter. I hope you liked both this and the story, because it is quite the hard work to go through. I also really wanted to end the story in a climax (pun intended), and I think it worked quite well.

Now, there are two projects I may go for after this, and I hope that you give me your opinion:

- When She Stands Up: The sequel to As She Lays Down. I might probably use some things from Castle's season 4, especially the bank robbing, and perhaps the "Linchpin"/"Pandora" double episode and the episode where the two of them get imprisoned next to the tiger, but I would try to follow more a bit of Kate's shooting case.

- NCIS/Castle Crossover: it would be during NCIS Season 10 and Castle Season 5. A Marine would die in NYC, within the 12th's precinct, and, with all teams in the Northeast region (where New York is in regards to NCIS organization) busy, it falls upon Gibbs' team to travel to New York and work with Beckett and Castle.

Opinions, please!

P.S: I have just seen episodes 6 and 7 of season 5, and I loved them!


End file.
